General Chat

A MUM of seven is being paid £170,000 a year in benefits so she can live in a £1.2million mansion.




Taxpayers hit by the credit crunch fund the swish seven-bedroom home enjoyed free by Afghan migrant Toorpakai Saindi and her family.

And her landlord is raking in rent of more than £12,000 a month from a local council — funded by taxpayers.

That’s DOUBLE the normal market value of the seven-bedroom property, located in a swish West London street peppered with the Mercedes and BMW cars of private owners.





Yesterday Saindi, who also gets an estimated £400 a week in child and local tax benefits, said: “It’s a lot of money, but the council pay it.

“This is their problem. I don’t know why they pay so much.”


Landlord Ajit Panesar, who is acting within his rights, also referred The Sun to Ealing Council.

They blamed the Government, saying it set the rate.


But Whitehall insisted the council could have put Ms Saindi in a cheaper home.


The root of the potty payouts lies with the Local Housing Allowance — rolled out nationally on April 7.





It enables tenants and landlords to find out the maximum amount of LHA available before an agreement is reached.


In July Ms Saindi, who has four sons and three daughters aged eight to 22, approached the council after being made homeless. They had a legal obligation to find her a seven-bedroom home.


But they did not have one big enough on their books and so turned to a private landlord, Mr Panesar.


He fixed a price for his Acton property which the council checked with the Rent Service — an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions.


They then advised the council what they should pay.


It turned out to be a staggering £12,458 a month — partly because under boundary changes implemented in April, Acton is crazily lumped in with mega-rich Westminster.

Amazing isnt it....!! Really annoyed me when I read this...!!

Bev

I'm pretty certain that there is no need for so many bedrooms, unless it's the age of some of the older children which means that they can't share with younger siblings. I wonder if an adult child has to have their own room if housed by the council.

When we once applied for council housing we was told that we were only eligible for a flat because our 16yr old son was old enough to move into his own home!!

As it happened we now dont need council housing but I wouldnt have trusted my son to fend for himself.....

Bev

There are some crazy rules aren't there Bev?!
And I bet they didn't offer to help him with housing either!

Hi Sally....no they didnt!!

Bev

I think with things like benefits and housing etc you have to know all the ins and outs to stand a chance to get what you are entitled to.

I,ve had 4 children and had to put them in bunk beds to get them all into our house .....why does she gat this !!!!

Anger aint the word is it ...

My daughter and her partner both work hard and when she was expecting her first baby was landed with her partners children as their mother was unfit to look after them.
They were all living in a one bed council flat and had trouble finding a house to buy as southern house prices sky high.
They were told they didn't stand a chance of getting help from the council but they would of helped if daughter and OH didn't work or if daughter was unmarried mum of all three children.
Luckily they managed to find their own house but it does make me angry .

x Jill

Hi Kemp....it really is annoying isn't it! We had a mortgage which was quite high at one time but as we both had pretty good jobs it was managable! Anyway certain things changed and my OH had to come out of work on ill health which drastically reduced our income to a point where we couldnt manage!
Because we had a mortgage we didnt qualify for any help and were unable to get a council property as like I said my son was 16 and able to care for himself...yeah right!!
What we did was move here to Cornwall and we now live in a 2 bedroomed mobile home which, to be honest, is the best thing we have ever done!
In a way Im glad things turned out the way they did but with a little more help from the government we may not have had to sell our home!!

many years ago my dad was told we had to move about 300 miles ......
we at that time lived in a council house so he went to that town and asked about rehouseing ......he was told come back a different colour and we could house you now ......at this time you and your 3 children and wife will be waiting for 3 years !!!!!!!!!!

do you think these two adults (mother and landlord ) know each other ?

I was told that about my children ....son age 22 and son aged 19 have to find their own place to live !!!!!

But son aged 22 has autisum!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I,m lost with this countries rules !

Unbelievable Kemp!!!

It's crazy aint it?

Bev

No its not unbelieveable ...its the UK

This topic has been spoken about on TV .....and the councillor of that area says
"its your Mrs Thatchers fault coz she sold of council houses"

now we all know .....its not todays goverment who havent built new houses!

Well this just beggars belief. What is this country coming to.

Its very admirable that we look after refugees but to house a family at such a high cost is down right obscene especially as its the council and tax payers that foot the bloddy bill. Whats wrong with a family sized caravan to house them? In fact at that price the council is paying they could afford to buy quite a few luxury caravans on a site somewhere to house people.

Tina x

Does it mention a father figure here by any chance?

Disgusting ! I am lost for words.

As I'm sure I've said before, the fundamental flaw with the benefits system is that there is no cap on the total amount that can be claimed.

The cap should include cash and benefits in kind such as housing, free prescriptions, school meals and so on and should be set at the average wage.

There is simply no moral justification to paying anyone more than they could earn by working.

Hi Tina.....we live in a luxury caravan/mobile home and absolutely love it!!

Way things look at the moment the only way we could afford to live in a house is if I stop working....!!

Bev x