Affordable social housing didn’t disappear — it just slipped out for a “quick refurb” in 1998 and never came back, leaving London staring at an empty plot and saying, “Right… so we’re just doing £2,300-a-month shoeboxes now?”
Rents are so extortionate now that even the landlord’s calculator is saying, “Be serious, mate.”
London rents are basically organised crime with a direct debit — the only thing missing is the masked man saying “hand over the wallet.”
It’s not renting anymore; it’s monthly extortion with a tenancy agreement — you basically get mugged on the first of every month, but with paperwork.
People just cannot afford this type of rent — unless they’ve secretly won the lottery, married a billionaire, or started selling their organs on Vinted.
People just cannot afford this type of rent — and this is why they’re moving away, fleeing London like it’s a sinking ship, but with artisan coffee.
If the rent were cheaper, people would stay — and who can blame them for leaving when London’s basically charging premium rates for broom cupboards with “character.”
Council housing was much better — you actually got a decent flat instead of paying luxury prices for a glorified airing cupboard.
A lot of people don’t want new homes; they want older homes with character — not these cardboard‑box flats where the walls are thinner than a Ryanair apology.
By the time you’ve paid your extortionate rent, you may as well have bought your home — except instead of a mortgage, you’ve just funded your landlord’s third holiday and a new Audi.
If it’s social housing, then rents should be lower — not “80% of market rent,” which is basically saying, “Here’s your discount robbery.”
This is why more people are moving out of London — because they can’t conceivably afford the rent, unless they’ve got a secret trust fund or a side hustle selling fresh air.
How they expect people to afford these extortionate rents is beyond me — unless they think everyone’s secretly moonlighting as a millionaire in their spare time.
I don’t know if our government has realised, but we’re in a cost‑of‑living crisis. We can barely afford to put food on the table — never mind paying rent that looks like it was calculated by someone hallucinating.
They must be living on Planet Moneybags, where everyone earns six figures and bread costs 20p.
Those days are over, mate — and the British public are being bled dry like we’re all walking around with contactless veins.
People’s comments are basically: “We’re skint, we’re tired, and we’re not paying £2,300 for a glorified cupboard.”
Can we look into resurrecting the thousands of homes that are currently empty as well?? Because at this point they’re just sitting there like retired properties waiting for a comeback tour.
Stop and ban any funding policies that encourage dangerous small‑boat crossings. Put that money into making our communities greener and tidier, improving bottle‑and‑can recycling, providing better housing, and strengthening policing — because these are the issues that actually need urgent attention.
These houses and flats should be offered to local people before anyone else — sadly, I don’t see it happening, and at this rate you’ve got a better chance of winning the lottery than getting a place in your own area.
None of the new builds are affordable rents — in London a two‑bed in a shiny new block is about £1,300 a month, and it’s got working‑class families doing financial gymnastics just to stay housed. People aren’t “choosing benefits,” babes — the rent is basically forcing them into part‑time poverty.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 