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eBay auction 'last resort' to get a house


A FATHER auctioned invitations to a barbecue at his dream home for £20,000 – to raise the money he needs to buy it.

Brian Adams, 29, claimed the eBay auction was his “last resort” as there was no other way for his family to finance a move to a bigger house in Oxford.

He and wife Ossa, 33, and children Brogan and Rocky, live in a two-bedroom social housing flat in Wyatt Road, North Oxford.

But eBay has now taken down the sale, which the father-of-two admitted was a stunt.

The barbecue would have been held at his chosen property.

Mr Adams said he wanted to show how families living on one wage were penalised in the city.

Mr Adams, who works for Oxford Internet firm Nominet, said today’s society was “backward” when it came to dealing with families.

Single parents, unmarried couples and those forced out by parents get a better deal, he said.

He said: “You get given a nice little home paid for courtesy of the taxpayer, and then move your partner in a few weeks later, don’t declare them, and you get to enjoy their wage or benefits fully with no bills or stress.”

The auction attracted no bids before it was taken down.

He said: “I never believed anyone would bid, but it at least gave me a place to vent my frustrations about being stuck in an impossible position, like so many other honest, decent families.

“I would need to buy, but as we choose to have our children brought up by their biological mum instead of a childminder or nursery, trying to get a mortgage on one wage, with no state benefits because I work full time, it is extremely difficult.

“We decided that it was time to start looking at getting a bigger home if possible.”

He said there was “no chance” of a property from Oxford City Council because of the high demand.

He said: “We’ll only become entitled to a larger home if we have more kids than we can afford. Thankfully we’re not that irresponsible.”

Mr Adams said he was looking to work extra hours at the weekend to make ends meet.

But he said: “Even if I find a job the income from that will never provide enough money to raise that sort of deposit before my boys are old enough to start work.

“We are very lucky to have a roof over our head, I don’t take this for granted.

“But when you see people get given such beautiful council homes who either do not deserve them due to cheating the system, or who do not take care of them and leave their gardens looking like a junk yard, it’s hard not feel ignored by the powers-that-befor trying to bring your family up honestly and with hard work.”


Comments(44)

Robie says...
11:05am Mon 6 Sep 10

You chose to have kids before buying a house, deal with it!

Again, why is this news?!

elperrohavuelto says...
11:16am Mon 6 Sep 10

It’s a story highlighting the housing situation, and how those who abuse & cheat the system get more options then people who live honestly. Are you one of those people who live off the tax payer? is that why this story annoys you so much, worried you might have to one day work again

Rayman123 says...
11:27am Mon 6 Sep 10

My family are in the same situation, you have no help what so ever from the council. The system is almost set up to encourage you to have more kids! Good on you Brian, about time people like us were given a voice instead of just watching the lazy jobless wasters of our society get everything.
As for Robie statement, life is never as black and white as ‘buy a home have kids etc’.

SupaMum says...
11:39am Mon 6 Sep 10

Have you tried HomeSwapper? If you haven’t, DON’T, it’s pointless!
The lesson to learn here is, do not be honest and breed like rabbits! It is a backward society

Robie says...
11:41am Mon 6 Sep 10

Social housing is the state giving them a roof over their head.

Just look at the amount of satellite dishes on the sides of council flats and you will see the reason people struggle to afford enough for a mortgage.

I do sympathise with those who live within their means and still can't afford to get on the property ladder but if you have already been given accommodation by the state I don't think you should be ungrateful.

BrianAdams says...
12:31pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Robbie I am not ungrateful, hence the statement:
“We are very lucky to have a roof over our head, I don’t take this for granted."
The reason why this situation frustrates people like me & other fulltime working families is because I would get a home more suitable for the size of my family if I didn’t work, had more kids then my wage could afford, and cheated the system.
If only people in a worse situation went ahead of families like mine, I wouldn’t moan, but they don’t, and the main difference is whether you choose to be honest, or deceitful.
By telling people like me to effectively ‘shut up and get on with it’ all you’re doing is giving a green light for people to continue abusing the system. I want to see families who work hard, don’t take from society, and live honestly get a better deal then what they currently do, if you think that’s wrong, then I have to question your morality.

Robie says...
1:16pm Mon 6 Sep 10

I absolutely agree that people who are cheating the system are scum and should be outed.

However the reporting by the oxford mail does not provide any evidence of people cheating the system or indeed suggest how someone would go about reporting it.

I trust you have reported those you mention and appreciate that the low standard of journalism is not your fault. Perhaps your ebay advert would have been a better read.

sparky123456 says...
2:35pm Mon 6 Sep 10

the other problem with Oxford is the number of cash investors buying up family homes and 2+ bed apartments to lease to the student market, who then run these properties in to the ground through lack of maintenance but manage to sell them at profit due to the desperate situation of the Oxford housing market. The lack of affordable housing in Oxford is also a disgrace, they build more student accomodation than they do family housing yet it's the long term residents that pay taxes to keep the city running. A tax should be introduced to investors - say 10% of a properties cost, if the property being purchased is not the purchasers primary residence. The money raised could then be used in schemes to support people in genuine hardship.

BrianAdams says...
2:41pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Robie there was a lot more detail in the eBay item than what appears here, but sadly that was removed or you could see it, and bid? haha.
Reporting people who you believe are cheating a system is of course good, but proving that is incredibly difficult, which is why so many people are successful that way, and why the council do very little. But personally I would rather see a bigger change, then just limiting it to dealing with individual bad apples. The reason for the eBay post was just to air my frustrations and see if it could spark some debate, because if the government addressed the situation, and started changes that rewarded the hard workers of our society, rather then slackers and cheats, maybe the country we live in would also improve?

Sparky that is a great idea!

online_reader says...
3:24pm Mon 6 Sep 10

I agree that the system is unfair, but I think you are wrong to be disparaging to those women who choose to work while their children attend nursery. I also think stressing the word 'biological' is pretty offensive to foster and adoptive parents. If the children's mother is permanently enthusiastic, mixes with a lot of other small children and take part in lots of activities, then being with her is a good thing, but it is far better for a child to be in a stimulating and social environment at nursery than to be shoved alone in front of CBeebies, which is what a lot of stay at home mums actually do with their children. Many children are very happy at nursery playing with their friends, and they learn faster as a result. Many women are happier working and paying their way, and they show an excellent example to their children as a result.

BrianAdams says...
3:55pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Online Reader is reading way too much into the use of the word biological. At no point was I, or do I, believe adoptive or foster parents can not or do not give as much love as what a biological mum can do. The statement I was making was at today’s expensive society. The cost of living and mortgages are so high that families are forced into full time work to cover the costs of living, and gone are the days where mothers (or fathers) are financially able to stay at home and tend to their children before school age.
Social environments are important to a child’s development, and yes I agree not all stay at home mums are good, and many will use the TV as a substitute to actually being parent. But no one will ever change my mind that the people who can give the child the best love, care and attention are its parents (biological, foster or adoptive), and I feel it’s a shame that so many families have that options taken away from them due to financial reasons.
If both parents want to work, and financially they don’t HAVE to work, then that’s their own personally choice, it’s not one I agree with, but hey ho that’s life and we are all different.

Berty says...
4:02pm Mon 6 Sep 10

My husband and I bought a very cheap, run down house in a grotty area. We had two kids and I stayed at home to raise them. In our spare time we did up our house, sold it at a profit and slowly moved up the housing ladder. We didn't have expensive holidays, had one tiny TV, and watched every penny.

I'm not saying that Brian Adams is in a position to do this, or that he squanders his disposable income on luxuries, but I am a little puzzled as to what he will actually achieve by this stunt. As far as I can see he's doing OK. He has a two-bed property with two children (as I did) which is provided to some extent by the tax payer (which mine wasn't). If he waits a few more years his wife can return to work and he can get what he feels is his right with her additional income.

Yes, people cheat the benefit system, but at least he actually has a home. A lot of people in his position do not.

angryjack says...
4:10pm Mon 6 Sep 10

This is hilarious, here is a guy that is trying to do the right thing for the situation he is in, and all some of you can do is either pick faults in his choice or words, or attack him for trying to make a stand against a system that gives so much to those that do so little??!!
No wonder we are in this namby-pamby state, when people chose to actually get on the back of decent people, and turn a blind eye to what’s really going on

Snoop says...
4:17pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Brian, I completely understand your frustration. If you'd been lazy and never worked the council would have found you a home and then a larger home when you had more kids. I can appreciate how stuck you are. Have you looked into shared ownership at all?

Snoop says...
4:17pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Brian, I completely understand your frustration. If you'd been lazy and never worked the council would have found you a home and then a larger home when you had more kids. I can appreciate how stuck you are. Have you looked into shared ownership at all?

BrianAdams says...
4:28pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Hi Berty. The only thing I was looking to achieve was a debate and looks like I got one! I never expected anyone to give me the deposit to a home; I just wanted to highlight what I see as a bad level of injustice in the housing situation today.
As stated in a previous response “If only people in a worse situation went ahead of families like mine, I wouldn’t moan, but they don’t, and the main difference is whether you choose to be honest, or deceitful.”
Id love to get on the housing ladder and do what you did, but that isn’t a possibility at the moment, so yes we will wait until my wife can return to work because we have no other viable options, excepting cheating the system, which is wrong.
In response to your last statement “at least he actually has a home. A lot of people in his position do not.” All I can say is, I am sorry for those who are seeking a home, but if less people abused the system, and more effort was made to help/reward working families like mine who can afford a mortgage with the ‘part buy part rent’ scheme, but not the deposit get on the housing ladder, then more homes would be available.

Cheers for the kind words Snoop, and yes we have thought about it, but for the size of home we would need taking into account the mortgage my wage could get, Id need a deposit of around £10grand, and money to cover the cost of buying a home (hence the eBay item), and unfortunately I have no way of saving that kind of money up, as well as putting food in my family’s mouth.

Berty says...
5:01pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Thanks for your reply Brian. I'm sorry to sound cynical, but I don't think any amount of protest will stop the cheating and innefficiency in our benefit system. Dishonest, thieving individuals always seem to land on their feet, sadly. Good luck with your ongoing action.

BrianAdams says...
5:07pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Thanks Berty :o)

AbingdonMassive says...
5:08pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Brian please get over yourself, Me and my wife live in a small 3 bed house with 5 children, Before we moved here we was stuck in a 2 bed flat with 3 children.

We just get on with it as we made the choice to have rumpies and make babys.

You can always buy a 8 man tent and pop out lots of babys and live in radley woods

Ox-4ord says...
5:33pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Good on you Brian, way too many benefit cheats out there!!
Do a day’s work people!!!

theashes says...
5:57pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Abingdon Massive

You have not said if you work or live on benefits. Then you can offer to the debate.

AbingdonMassive says...
6:22pm Mon 6 Sep 10

theashes wrote:
Abingdon Massive You have not said if you work or live on benefits. Then you can offer to the debate.
I sure do work but thats got nothing to do with it, The fact is my council house is toooooooo small for my family and because it was me that decided to have the children i can't blame the council or the non workers for my housing situation.

This is a public forum and anyone can add to the topic of conversation.

If i did not have a job would you not want to hear what i had to say then?

I work hard for my living and my wife also works part time but i dont blame them that will not or can not work for the housing troubles in this county and country, Blame mass immigration for the lack of social housing and work.

cowleyanne says...
6:47pm Mon 6 Sep 10

Abingdon Massive your right, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even those who should defo keep to reading the paper online, as an actual paper might be a bit to complex for them to handle, those paper cuts don’t half hurt :o)

Well done you had more kids and got a bigger place, exactly what this man is saying. I am pleased your combined wages have been able to support 5 children; you must have a very high paid job to do this with no help? So with such a high paid job, why didn’t you buy a home, why are you on the council?

tim.83 says...
6:57pm Mon 6 Sep 10

I completely sympathise with this family. 

The shortage of affordable housing in Oxford is shameful. There are too many people making too much money out of housing and too many family homes being converted into HMO's (houses of multiple occupation) to maximise "yield".

Every working family, single parent or otherwise, deserves a suitable home at a price they can afford.

Oxford City Council and local MP's seem to be oblivious to the problem as does Westminster. New housing projects have been cancelled and there are literally thousands of hard working families on the housing waiting list in Oxford. 

Our policitians must be too busy lining their pockets with money from buy-to-let properties to take any notice.

Labour's housing policies priced the majority of us out of the market whilst making a lucky few very rich. The coalition government has cancelled vast house building projects across the south without having any plan to replace them.

The situation is a total disgrace.

AbingdonMassive says...
7:05pm Mon 6 Sep 10

cowleyanne wrote:
Abingdon Massive your right, everyone is entitled to their opinion, even those who should defo keep to reading the paper online, as an actual paper might be a bit to complex for them to handle, those paper cuts don’t half hurt :o) Well done you had more kids and got a bigger place, exactly what this man is saying. I am pleased your combined wages have been able to support 5 children; you must have a very high paid job to do this with no help? So with such a high paid job, why didn’t you buy a home, why are you on the council?
No, I got a bigger place then had more kids.

Me and the wife sleep in the box room, just big enough for a double bed with the door taken off or you can get in there.

Why should i buy a house when the council can provide me with accomadation to suit my budget?

and no my job is not high pay but i do put in 60 hours a week and my wife 20 not that thats got anything to do with it.

I am able to slate the council for a legit reason, ie 7 of us in a 3 bed house but im not slating them due the the fact im happy in this 3 bed place and i had the children so i cant blame the council or blame society nor would i want to!!!

All you need to know is you dont pay my familys way nor my rent or council tax.

I spent 3 years over crowded in my flat and not once asked to move, It was them that come to us and said they needed more 2 bed propertys and would we mind moving into a 3 bed house.

The only thing i can blame the local councils and housing assosations for is selling off the houses for years at very silly money because the person had lived in it for x amount of years.

My dad was sent a letter offering him his house for £19,000 about 11 years ago as he had the right to buy, Thank god thats all now been knocked on the head.

Whould you think i was better than the next family that lived in a council house if i owned my own home?

AbingdonMassive says...
7:20pm Mon 6 Sep 10

How come everyone is missing the real point to this story?

It is not legal, It is fraud when you try to offer somthing for sale that you do not own and i think that selling spaces at a bbq in the garden of a house that does not belong to you constitutes fraud.

terrytowel says...
8:17pm Mon 6 Sep 10

He's LOOKING to work extra hours at the weekend?
If he was as motivated as he makes out, he'd be DOING that already.
I know a guy who could get him work in a Village People tribute band - that tache is perfect!
Ben has just tried to increase his probablity of gaining a bigger property with a nifty cutting of corners (and Max Clifford-type PR). He just hasn't taking the extreme measure of fiddling the system.
Good on you sir!

matriarch says...
8:48pm Mon 6 Sep 10

I think this is a great way to raise awareness of the situation many of us find ourselves in, good on you.
I myself have been trying for many, many months to find a suitable place on "homeswapper" for my 4 person family and because I am in a flat with no garden, no-one is interested and no matter what I bid on the council site I end up coming past the 100 mark every time!
I believe we have many homes that are "under-crowded" in my area, if the housing association were able to offer a better incentive for people that no longer needed or couldn’t manage the space then they could happily trade the over-crowded homes for the under-crowded ones.
On a separate issue; I am always saddened when I see gardens that are completely over grown when mine or other well deserving families could be there and making good use of the space provided. I was once told that the council used to keep a check on their tenants gardens and general state of the properties, and if the tenants were not taking proper care of their homes they would be told to fix it and if they did not they would be fined. I'm not sure how this ever got phased out but surely giving people pride in their homes is no bad thing?

terrytowel says...
8:58pm Mon 6 Sep 10

A recent newspaper report mentioned that, despite assurances that this wouldn't happen, 4,000 council houses were dished out to eastern european immigrants, thus making an already long housing list much longer.
Good luck to all those waiting for a house. It might be a good idea to learn Polish/Croatian/Czec
h.

BrianAdams says...
10:18pm Mon 6 Sep 10

I already unsuccessfully applied for that job Terrytowel, but being dyslexic I kept getting the YCMA wrong.
*disclaimer**disclai
mer* disclaimer* Before the PC brigade jump in to give me a good shoeing for mocking dyslexia, I would like to confirm I am actually dyslexic, so it’s ok to poke fun at myself :o) However if the Handlebar Moustache Defence League want to jump to the defence of my facial hair that would be grand.

terrytowel says...
11:10pm Mon 6 Sep 10

LOL.
I too am d!ck-sex-lick.
Please excuse my spelling.

Same old Tories, same old politics says...
12:48am Tue 7 Sep 10

elperrohavuelto wrote:
It’s a story highlighting the housing situation, and how those who abuse & cheat the system get more options then people who live honestly. Are you one of those people who live off the tax payer? is that why this story annoys you so much, worried you might have to one day work again
I read it as a story that quotes a dusgruntled man offering his stereotypical moan based on nothing but fresh air.

Same old Tories, same old politics says...
12:58am Tue 7 Sep 10

"Reporting people who you believe are cheating a system is of course good, but proving that is incredibly difficult, which is why so many people are successful that way, and why the council do very little. "

But you talk as if you have based your comments on actual evidence when now it appears all you are doing is trotting out some old stereotypical cliche.

Reporting people is not at all difficult unless you are just having a general stab in the dark.

Same old Tories, same old politics says...
1:02am Tue 7 Sep 10

terrytowel wrote:
A recent newspaper report mentioned that, despite assurances that this wouldn't happen, 4,000 council houses were dished out to eastern european immigrants, thus making an already long housing list much longer. Good luck to all those waiting for a house. It might be a good idea to learn Polish/Croatian/Czec h.
Which recent report was this then? Care to link to it so we have a read?

How does housing"4,000" people make the list longer? Surely the list stays the same unless more people join it?

Same old Tories, same old politics says...
1:05am Tue 7 Sep 10

I feel for the people who can't afford adequate housing and are left to the mercy of the private rented sector because of the lack of affordable social housing, not someone fortunate enough to have this but who still wants to trot out Daily Mailesque stereotypical nonsense.

terrytowel says...
9:05am Tue 7 Sep 10

Same old Tories, same old politics wrote:
terrytowel wrote:
A recent newspaper report mentioned that, despite assurances that this wouldn't happen, 4,000 council houses were dished out to eastern european immigrants, thus making an already long housing list much longer. Good luck to all those waiting for a house. It might be a good idea to learn Polish/Croatian/Czec h.
Which recent report was this then? Care to link to it so we have a read?

How does housing"4,000" people make the list longer? Surely the list stays the same unless more people join it?
Just this once I'll help you out 'same old'. Go to google and type in 4000 houses queue. Then go down the list until you get to a story in your favourite newspaper (judging by your last comment - which made me chuckle).
This is how the housing list works: English people (been on it years) are pushed BACKWARDS in the queue by the influx of more worthy (politically) folk from Eastern Europe. Thus, the natives have to wait much, much longer for houses in their own country. I'm surprises you did not know this. As these 4,000 houses are allocated more people have joined the queue and these too will be leap-frogged by those fresh from jail, immigrants, the mentally ill and any flavour of the month charidee case. Meanwhile, the natives get restless but what are they to do? Especially when their own countrymen appear so apathetic about it all.

terrytowel says...
9:12am Tue 7 Sep 10

Same old Tories, same old politics wrote:
terrytowel wrote:
A recent newspaper report mentioned that, despite assurances that this wouldn't happen, 4,000 council houses were dished out to eastern european immigrants, thus making an already long housing list much longer. Good luck to all those waiting for a house. It might be a good idea to learn Polish/Croatian/Czec h.
Which recent report was this then? Care to link to it so we have a read?

How does housing"4,000" people make the list longer? Surely the list stays the same unless more people join it?
Just imagine being in the queue for a theme park ride and the operators keep letting celebrities in front of you - over and over again. The queue will always be longer and you will NEVER move up it.
Not really fair is it?
I bet it doesn't work like this in Poland. But then things like this never work in those other countries do they?
You are right though about the lack of social housing but the Tories encouraged everyone to buy their council houses and wouldn't allow any new ones to be built - so there aren't many left.
Daft really. But if a gang of Europeans would have been first in the queue it wouldn't have mattered to the natives would it?

BrianAdams says...
9:18am Tue 7 Sep 10

RE: Same old Tories, same old politics
Well done at quoting me, just a shame you didn’t take the same amount of time to actually read the quote.
“Reporting people who you believe are cheating a system is of course good, but proving that is incredibly difficult”
I never said it was difficult to report people, I said it was difficult to prove.
“stereotypical moan based on nothing but fresh air.”
No, it is based on my personal experiences, and the barriers I have faced in finding a home more suitable to the size of my family. Before the eBay item was taken down the item received many positive comments from other families in the same situation as mine. This report also carries messages of support, not to mention the vast amount of personal conversations I have had before and since the article with people who find the situation frustrating.
I don’t need or want your sympathy. I made an eBay auction in protest against something I feel is backward, and promotes the wrong the message to people.

abingdonjon says...
12:40pm Tue 7 Sep 10

I'll let you know my frustration. I live in a 2bed council flat and really thank the state for allowing me this property in my time of need.
I live in a 2bed flat with my partner and our daughter.
Myself and my partner both work hard, and we send our daughter to a childminder which based on a 40hour week accumulates to 200 p/week and almost upto a 1000 on a 5week month. My partner pays this bill and has practically no money for herself at the end of the month. I pay for everything else, and am also left with practically nothing after bills and food have been taken care of.
If my partner decided not to work, as far as I am aware of I would not be entitled to any financial help due to my annual wage, which is not special but puts me over the 18,000 bracket so classes me as not low income.
Anyway to my point now! I have an ex partner whom I have a daughter with. She has a 3bedroom house! courtesy of the council. She has never worked as she had her 1st baby at 17years old. She is now 32! She now has 4children (including mine) with 3 different fathers, therefore raking in all the CSA!!!!! What is pi**ing me off is how is she affording to take all 4children off to Spain in a few weeks, not to mention I hear that she is still always out on the weekends drinking! HOW CAN SHE AFFORD THIS???
Myself and my partner whom both work earn an average wage, we can never afford to go out for a meal let alone a drinking session or even a bloody holiday!
I am sure everything is above board, but there most come a time when people like her have to return to work and pay for everything off there own back like the rest of us.
As far as I can see she has been sponging off the state for over 15years now, surely the time has come to stop people like this?
I'm with you Brian on this, it's a total disgrace.

BrianAdams says...
1:57pm Tue 7 Sep 10

Cheers for your comments Abingdon Jon.
Since this article was posted many people in our situation have spoken to me about their own personal experiences with housing, or just the benefit system, and I have been really shocked by what some people have encountered.
Sometimes I wonder if we are the bigger fools in all this by wanting to do things right and set a good example for our kids.

terrytowel says...
4:24pm Tue 7 Sep 10

I hope these wise waords can ease your suffering Ben:
Young man, there's no need to feel down.
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground.
I said, young man, 'cause you're in a new town
There's no need to be unhappy.

Young man, there's a place you can go.
I said, young man, when you're short on your dough.
You can stay there, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

Jmark says...
4:59pm Tue 7 Sep 10

Wow, Brian Adams really has been Waking Up the Neighbours.

Bart Simpson1 says...
12:16pm Wed 8 Sep 10

Come on 'Son of a legend' start a forum up!!

dannyofoxford says...
1:42am Thu 9 Sep 10

..........stop complaining and being envy of others......get your bird to work part time......and save , if u understand !..........beautiful council homes? in barton or blackbird leys?


Brian Adams and his son Brogan Brian Adams and his son Brogan

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