HB / LHA room limits

Tehya

After reading through a couple of threads on here I've been wondering about this new room limit with housing benefit / local allowance.

My hubby is in the support group for ESA and also claims DLA while I get Carer's Allowance for looking after him full time. Currently HB and CTB is paid in full. We live in an housing association 2 bed house which we were moved into by Social Services as it already had a brand new stairlift and after finding it for us they ripped out the old bathroom to install a wetroom.

My question is regarding the spare bedroom will this new rule effect us as we claim HB not LHA or is it for both types of benefit, meaning we either have to move again or pay the extra rent?

We were given the house as a couple with no children (my son is all grown up) and TBH any extra rent would cripple us but if we move to a smaller place we would have to pay Social Services for all the adaptations they've done on our current home as we've been herea lot less than 5 years and there's also no way they would put new adaptations in a new place.

Thanks for reading and any advice.

BigAunty

Although this thread goes horribly off-topic, it does contain some useful information and links.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3620827

It's easy to conflate LHA and HB so I don't blame your confusion.

At the moment, I do not believe that there are room limits for social housing tenants at the moment though there are proposals to make changes in the future, in order to tackle the under occupation of rooms in social housing property. I would think an organisation like Shelter will know if/when the changes come in. Or ask in the Disability and Dosh forum.

Here's some articles on the topic which suggest it may come in next year and will cost households around £14 per week in lost HB.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/housing-network/2011/oct/28/spare-bedroom-luxury-housing-benefit

http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/%E2%80%98under-occupation%E2%80%99_penalty.aspx

http://housingcrisis.org.uk/2011/06/14/government-rejects-amendment-to-protect-people-with-disabilities-2/

catz1ct

Your claim is not paid on LHA so it should not affect you.

BigAunty

catz1ct wrote: »

Your claim is not paid on LHA so it should not affect you.

But there is evidence that proposals have been made to introduce a similar type of deduction/limit for properties larger than eligibility next year to social housing tenants receiving benefits.

Not sure if it's currently being considered in parliament, is at the papers stage, or has been passed and will definately been introduced.

But it's a definate risk...

[Deleted User]

but the risk if it does exist could be minimal,and may not apply to adapted housing

moose1982

I think it would be daft to apply it to adapted housing really, purely because if the adaptions are made for the disabled person, then not only will the social housing association need to remove the adaptions, but also put them into the new property. Unless the size difference between required and the size they have is large, then moving someone would cost far too much.

BigAunty

woodbine wrote: »

but the risk if it does exist could be minimal,and may not apply to adapted housing

but it may apply to adapted housing - a blanket exclusion was rejected.

http://housingcrisis.org.uk/2011/06/14/government-rejects-amendment-to-protect-people-with-disabilities-2/

[Deleted User]

and then again it may not,we`ll wait and see maybe?