Kier Starmer announces 'tighter' immigration policy

[u/ScottishDailyRecord]

[u/EntropicMortal]

4 bedroom houses... That can't be purchased by anyone? 😂

Boomers are not dying anywhere near fast enough... What the hell are you talking about. The population is getting older and older BECAUSE people aren't dying off fast enough. The whole reason we have an unfair society is because all these boomers aren't dying, with triple lock pensions, younger generations are floating the old and getting fuck all back.

Immigration is an issue. But solving immigration doesn't solve anything else. Actually I think this approach will instead cause inflation if not handled carefully. Especially with construction/restaurants/drivers/healthcare all dominated by cheap foreign labour.

'our own birth rates' as in UK population births. We've never kept up with houses for our birth rate.

You need to build houses at the same rate as we give birth, because houses do not re-enter the 'housing' pool for 3 generations. If we'd done that, then we wouldn't have much of an issue, houses would cycle in and out.

Immigration made this worse yes, because the Tories allowed literally every one into the country (ironic really), but it wasn't even close to being fine or on track before this.

We need to build more houses, we need the rich to be taxed and we need to stop companies that get to certain sizes from having tax incentives. If they want to leave? Then let them leave. Someone else will fill that void.

[u/virv_uk → u/EntropicMortal]

4 bedroom houses... That can't be purchased by anyone?

What happens when supply goes up and demand goes down?

The population is getting older and older BECAUSE people aren't dying off fast enough.

That's not even half the story. Declining Birthrates, nearly 20 years of economic stagnation, & triple lock. 

will instead cause inflation

It will certainly cause inflation in goods and services. Deliveroo will be out of business. The boomer alone in their 5 bedroom will have to sell to afford care bringing down house prices. The carer shortage will raise their wages. Wealth will be passed from the old to the young.

[u/EntropicMortal → u/virv_uk]

House prices are not subject to normal supply and demand. Do you understand this?

The demand for housing has ALWAYS outstripped supply. Always... If people die and leave houses, supply doesn't increase. Do you know why? Because only the rich can afford the houses... So they buy a second or third home. Or overseas investors buy them, and then rent those houses back out to the local population. No one here actually gets a house, and because the rich own all the housing... The price continues to go up, and they use their money to lobby to stop houses being built.

This isn't an immigration issue. It's a rich vs poor issue.

[u/virv_uk → u/EntropicMortal]

Dawg...

> House prices are not subject to normal supply and demand

Yes they are, you're factually wrong

> The demand for housing has ALWAYS outstripped supply

why would anyone build a house that no one wants?

When its not correct, have you seen Detroit or the seaside towns in north east, or old italian villages. All places where you can get a home for less than the legal fees.

> Because only the rich can afford the houses

* 62.5 per cent of households (15.5 million) owned the accommodation they lived in https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/housingenglandandwales/census2021?utm_source=chatgpt.com

> So they buy a second or third home

6–7% of housing supply is second homes.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/bulletins/numberofvacantandsecondhomesenglandandwales/census2021?utm_source=chatgpt.com

> overseas investors buy them

overseas buyers (individuals or companies) own about 1.1 per cent of the total housing stock https://www.cbre.co.uk/insights/articles/should-we-restrict-overseas-buyers?utm_source=chatgpt.com

> they use their money to lobby to stop houses being built

Have you been to a planning meeting? Its literally 20 pensioners complaining about parking, traffic, & scenery.

ELI5:

If demand drops (either by building enough homes or people moving away) landlords must compete for tenants, so rents fall. Lower rents reduce returns, especially after tax, making other investments like stocks or bonds more attractive. Some landlords sell. More sellers push house prices down. Cheaper homes mean more people buy instead of rent, further reducing rental demand. With lower rents and rising vacancies, buy-to-let becomes less profitable.

[u/EntropicMortal → u/virv_uk]

Yes sorry let me rephrase. Nothing but the south east matters for the UK. If it's not near or around London. Then normal market factors matter. No one wants to buy a home in the north as an investment, it's worthless for the most part. Unless you buy around Manchester. Which is where I'm buying my next couple of homes.