Somali family on benefits handed keys to £2million luxury ‘council’ home on one of London’s most affluent streets

  • Builders did £100,000 renovations in 2011, creating two new bedrooms
  • Private rent could cost £8,000 a week – but welfare family pay £1,000 a month
  • Neighbours’ fury over recent deliveries of new carpets and televisions
  • Claims many of the occupants drive ‘nice cars’
    and even use private hire chauffeur service

By
Jill Reilly

06:16 EST, 7 June 2012

|

10:47 EST, 7 June 2012

A Somali family living on benefits has moved into a luxury £2million townhouse just a stone’s throw from where ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair used to live, it was revealed today.

The council-owned property Georgian townhouse, underwent £100,000 worth of renovations in 2011, including creating two new bedrooms.

The occupants of the house, a Somali family, on housing benefit and income support told The Sun: ‘We are from Somalia. I don’t know how we got the house. We were lucky.’

Luxury: The plush £2million townhouse in London that has been given to a Somalian family of 10 who are living on benefits

Luxury: The plush £2million townhouse in London that has been given to a Somalian family of 10 who are living on benefits

They are understood to pay the council £1,000 a month in rent – but if the property was available on the private rental market, it could command nearly eight times that amount every month.

The four-storey home has retained its period features and even has ornate chandeliers.

Neighbours told the newspaper that the 10-strong family had been there about a year after a pensioner who was in the property moved out.

Yesterday a man living in the house, Mohamed, 55, told the newspaper that the family had been fortunate in renting the grand home.

‘We were on the council waiting list. All adults in the home are on housing benefit and income support,’ he said. 

Lucky: Two of the occupants seen leaving the £2m home. According to neighbours new carpets and televisions were delivered recently and many of people living there have cars

Lucky: Two of the occupants seen leaving the £2m home. According to neighbours new carpets and televisions were delivered recently and many of people living there have cars

Refit: The stunning Georgian townhouse, in one of Islington's most desirable streets, underwent £100,000 worth of renovations in 2011, including creating two new bedrooms.

Refit: The stunning Georgian townhouse, in one of Islington’s most desirable streets, underwent £100,000 worth of renovations in 2011, including creating two new bedrooms.

He explained how he had been in temporary housing for years and that their new home had a nice garden, complete with wooden flooring.

An elderly couple, who have lived in
the street for 52 years, said their son had been forced to move out of
the borough because he could not afford the cost of housing.

The 75-year-old man said: ‘My son has
grown up here. He was born in the hospital around the corner, but he
was told by the council ‘you work so you can pay.’

‘Then we see new carpets being brought in, televisions; where’s the fairness in that?

‘They say there are 10 people living there, but there are more than that. They’ve all got cars.

‘It’s just not right. There are plenty of kids in this area that are waiting for decent housing.’

The 10-strong family is believed to have been staying in the house for about a year

Settled: The 10-strong family is believed to have been staying in the house for about a year

It is understood the former resident,
an elderly lady who have lived there for 50 years, was moved into a
residential home following the death of her husband.

A 72-year-old local resident, who
gave his name as Harry, said he had seen the family driving nice cars
and even using a private hire chauffeur service.

He added: ‘The lady who used to live
there now lives in a home and they are taking more than £500 of her
savings every week while this family get given this house for almost
nothing.

‘If she went over
to Somalia do you think they’d give her a council house? No. I don’t
think there’s another country in the world where you can take a massive
family and be handed a £2 million house. It’s just not fair.’

Another neighbour, who works as a barrister, questioned the use of council resources on housing just one family.

She
said: ‘I wonder whether there should be policies which obligate local
authorities to consider selling prime residential property that they
happen to own and spending the money on social housing elsewhere.’

A woman answered the door to the house today did not speak English, but declined to comment through her daughter.

A spokesman for the Taxpayers
Alliance said: ‘Many hard-working taxpayers are struggling to afford
rent or mortgage payments on their modest homes, they will be astonished
by this story.

‘It’s
completely unfair to ask them to pay for someone else’ family to live in
such a grand house when they probably couldn’t afford to live there
themselves.

‘This
again shows why reforms to Housing Benefit are so necessary to ensure
that that there is a safety-net for the poorest and most vulnerable,
whilst protecting taxpayers against paying for big, expensive houses.’

Islington council is converting this Grade II-listed £1.8m property into one house after it had been split into two flats

Islington council is converting this £1.8m property into one house after it had been split into two flats. An Indian couple on benefits will move in and pay less than £1,000 in rent. It could have brought in £2,000 in the private sector

A spokesman for Islington council said: ‘This home has been owned by the council for many years and is currently let to a family who were in great housing need.’

Earlier this week, it was revealed that a family living on benefits is being moved to a £1.8 million townhouse – which is being renovated for them at the taxpayers’ expense – provoking outrage.

Islington council is converting the four-storey Grade II-listed property into one house after it had been split into two flats.

If rented privately the council-owned property could earn around £2,000 a week but when the family move in after the renovation – which itself will cost thousands – they will be paying less than £1,000 a month.

The Indian couple, believed to be in their 30s, with four children and another on the way, are said to be amazed by their luck.

Here’s what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts,
or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

I used to live on that same street. Stories like this reassure me that I made the right choice moving away from England.

Typical labour council! Any sensible council would sell this house and buy several cheaper houses to house more families at nearer the market rent.

I thought this sort of thing had been stopped … but it appears not. Just another con by LibLabCon it seems.

BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!!!!

I feel very insulted by this story, i have worked hard since leaving school to be a ble to afford a humble property to keep my wife and two kids in. This is where my tax money goes, it’s very sad. Seing these non contributors living in luxury like this is a kick in the teeth for the tax payer.

You really couldn’t print what I think about this!

there are many who have lost there jobs through no fault of there own, and cant afford there mortgage, and will loose there home, THIS IS WRONG AND DAM RIGHT UNFAIR

Its only bricks and mortar. Why should families suffer cramped conditions when properties like this are available. Or would you rather us go back to the victorian era.

one persons “amazed by luck” is another persons completely pig sick! How do they manage to get this house if they are all on benefits? absolute disgrace, find it difficult to blame the family even though it is wrong. it is the idiots in the council housing department who are to blame, how long before we find out the housing officer is a friend of the family, this country is finished

This will never change this country is too concerned about human rights and keeping other countries on side it doesn’t pay to be honest or hardworking

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes