Just received 'Housing Benefit changes' letter, not sure of the implications.

LouLou

I'm not interested in arguing with you, Dunroamin. Good luck to you and hope you're in a better mood in another thread! I've read enough...

Sandwich

Dunroamin wrote: »

People who rent properties always negotiate on the rent, just as those buying properties do - it's expected.

There's a big difference between haggling with the landlord when you're a prospective tenant and asking him to reduce your rent by nearly 50% after you've been in the property for years.

If you really think that that is a feasible solution then you're bonkers.

Dunroamin

Sandwich wrote: »

There's a big difference between haggling with the landlord when you're a prospective tenant and asking him to reduce your rent by nearly 50% after you've been in the property for years.

If you really think that that is a feasible solution then you're bonkers.

I said that 50% was obviously unlikely but most LLs would prefer to keep a reliable, known tenant rather than risk a void and an unknown quantity. You'd expect to have to cover most of the deficit out of your own funds if you wanted to stay in an inappropriate property though.

MissMoneypenny

Sandwich wrote: »

Are you referring to people in the private sector dealing with the transition to the 'single room' rate?

I quoted earthbound_misfit when I replied about renegotiating the rent.

earthbound_misfit wrote: »

However, as I pointed out, when people are facing massive shortfalls in rent that thay cannot afford (hence getting means-tested benefits!), then they will have to leave their home.

Those who are having their LHA cut to the 30th percentile, have some wriggle room, (depending on the landlord's finances) as many landlords said they raised their rent to LHA levels. Single under 35 claimants can also try to negotiate a lower rent too. Whether this will enable them to still stay in property on their own will depend on how low the landlord will drop and how much they can pay from the rest of their welfare payments.

You can't really expect workers who are having to fund you and house share themselves, to keep paying for you to have a place to yourself.

CKhalvashi

princessdon wrote: »

So are people in council houses part of this new downsizing rule?

Or does this only apply to private rents and therefore unlikely to be in an area that is predominently local authority homes?

PS I grew up in a council house and I can personally say it was far from tatty and my garden was twice if not thrice the size of the one attached to my house now. I'd happly live on my old estate but the council would never house me as I work.

I’m often seen as being snobby on these boards, but I grew up in a council house, and they’re larger, better built and often have larger gardens than private properties. I’ve also lived in Soviet apartment blocks, and the same stood in the USSR.

I’d happily go into a council house, but have the assets not to.

The Finnish system works best, with government subsidised rents across the entire board and no real need for home ownership, and even with the heavier tax system, most of us would be better off.

CK

Soapn

HappyMJ wrote: »

No HA rents are always paid in full. There are proposals around if you have spare bedrooms to pay a small amount of the rent yourself.

does that work for Council accomadation as well?

My mother lives in a 2 bed flat, and because there is just her, she now gets £12 per week less housing benefit that she pays out of her pension credit. Only fair imo.

Morlock

Soapn wrote: »

does that work for Council accomadation as well?

The proposal relates to council/HA accommodation.

Soapn wrote: »

My mother lives in a 2 bed flat, and because there is just her, she now gets £12 per week less housing benefit that she pays out of her pension credit. Only fair imo.

The policy, 'bedroom tax', is not being introduced until next April, so her under-occupancy of the property is not the reason she has to contribute from her pension credit. More likely it is that her rent exceeds the local housing allowance rates.

Sandwich

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Those who are having their LHA cut to the 30th percentile, have some wriggle room, (depending on the landlord's finances) as many landlords said they raised their rent to LHA levels. Single under 35 claimants can also try to negotiate a lower rent too. Whether this will enable them to still stay in property on their own will depend on how low the landlord will drop and how much they can pay from the rest of their welfare payments.

You can't really expect workers who are having to fund you and house share themselves, to keep paying for you to have a place to yourself.

I think you are mistaken. I don't know where you get the idea that people on HB have a spare £100+ per month to cover the shortfall caused by these cuts. Face facts: for the vast majority of people, carrying on in their self-contained property while on HB will be impossible from now on.

And on the other thing, yes you can. First of all, it's not just 'workers' who contribute tax revenues. Almost everybody who spends money pays tax, and besides that, the majority of people on benefits will have worked for extensive periods and paid their taxes, or will go on to work for an extended period and contribute taxes. Secondly, as long as the people in question aren't living a life of luxury in a large house or flat, then I don't see anything wrong with letting them stay in their modest self-contained property so long as they actively look for work. Otherwise, you give people an incentive to stick with social housing. And besides that, it's unreasonable to expect people on benefits to have to look for new accommodation in the private sector because they might not have the money to move (deposits and van hire and what not can be expensive), or they might have bad credit (excluding them the vast majority of the rental market, which is governed by credit checks).

princessdon

@Sandwich

Whilst I agree in part with your post and I do genuinely have sympathy for anyone who has to move as a result there is a continuing theme with those on work related benefits in respect that they can't afford to return to work. One of the main barriers cited is that their housing / rent it too high.

It can be very hard and daunting to go from benefits to work. The govt is now creating an ethos were work will pay more than benefits and as part of that housing costs have to be considered.

Personally I disagree with those who are disabled having to move (as it can be detrimental to their health), but for work able under 35's who are single then I don't think it is unreasonable to say they have to either move to shared accomodation, find somewhere cheaper (and certainly in my area there are accomodation well below the LHA rate), or pay the shortfall.

And no I don't think they are living in mansions - If I look at my local area (which is all I can comment on with any degree of certainty). My street there may be a few who claim LHA, at the bottom of the street turn left and there will be a lot of choice for LHA rents, turn right and you will find none (it's the mansions I dream of when I walk past).

If the problem is landlords etc then surely that is a separate issue and supply/demand will fall into place. They are businesses and as such will follow basic economy and prices will adjust.

And by the way the comment Re my street was not "snobby" I will freely admit I couldn't afford to buy or rent here today, but had the fortune of buying when prices were low and before the boom that put them out of reach of the likes of myself.

Dunroamin

Sandwich wrote: »

I think you are mistaken. I don't know where you get the idea that people on HB have a spare £100+ per month to cover the shortfall caused by these cuts. Face facts: for the vast majority of people, carrying on in their self-contained property while on HB will be impossible from now on.
).

I'm sure you're right but I don't see what's wrong with that. Surely we all have to live within our means or make sacrifices to have what we want?

If you're under 35 and want someone else to pay your rent you need to live in shared accommodation. Otherwise you have to work more hours, stop running a car or make whatever sacrifices that are necessary to have a place of your own.

After all, that's the choice that people paying their own rent have to make all the time.