To think that anyone could have watched Panorama tonight and still believe in the Right to Buy?

That sounds brilliant GrannyTwice but I have never heard any suggestions for long term renting here. Of course this was just what council housing was originally - a home for life. The Trades Unions have a very positive role in Germany don't they.

I am still trying to imagine how the extra room worked

Better than six months, which is the norm now, GrannyTwice.

But even 3 years isn't that good is it? In Germany, for example, Trade Unions invest in the rented sector. They build and then rent homes. For them it is a long term investment and tenants have security - pay your rent, honour your agreement, it's your home. One summer as a student, I worked as an au pair in Hamburg. The family I worked for had a lovely rented flat - owned by a TU -there was one room in it that could belong to either their flat or the flat next door - this meant that over time, if your household got smaller, you gave up a room but were able to stay in your home. And another family could have a larger flat. Genius

The Labour Party is going to make three year agreements the norm when they get in.

yes aggie - exactly. Ash - the thing is that there are plenty of countries thst have a large rented sector which works and people do have security of tenure such as Germany, France. So why can't we do that?

Our area doesn't even have any council owned housing stock, so there is only limited housing association property available, and people need to be in pretty straitened circumstances to qualify.
This leaves all those people unable to get on to the housing ladder with no choice other than to rent from private landlords, and possibly paying over the odds for the privilege.
More worrying, however, is that they have no security of tenure, with only 6 monthly renewable rental agreements. I don't know what the answer to this dilemma is, certainly not a return to the 'sitting tenant' problem of yesteryear. But with housing association property sold off, more and more people will be in this precarious position.

Totally agree Granny Twice. The people working in the area had the answer - huge fines. They should probably be scaled in relation to what they have received in housing benefit.

We are so far behind with housing it makes me wonder if they should build modern versions of the prefabs they built after the war but only as council housing or they would be more like the caravans in the programme.

It does affect it , if all the hosing is bought and rented out there is no social housing for reasonable rents , no decent places , only over priced rotten housing stock

I think that the "Right to Buy" proposal is only intended to be for people living in Council or Housing Associations, and has nothing to do with privately rented properties.