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

dseventy

Sandwich wrote: »

No, I haven't tried, but I have been informed in another thread in the rental section that pretty much all lettings agents and most private landlords do do a credit check and that will make it extremely difficult for me to find rented accommodation.

Well how do you know if you have not tried?

Getting a room in a shared house is much easier than renting the whole property. The rent is cheaper, lower deposit (though you have less rights).

Don't say how difficult it is without trying.

Sandwich wrote: »

And please don't make me out to be a scrounger. I take all the work I can get and I would love a full-time job. Not everyone on benefits is on benefits because they are lazy or stupid or workshy. Many people are victims of circumstances. When you've got many more people looking for work than there are jobs out there, it only stands to reason that plenty of good people will be left behind, and that's what our welfare state (or what's left of it) is there for.

I never said you are a "scrounger".

What I did say is that you can't pay your own rent and rely on others to do it for you. While you rely on others you are subject to the "others" rules.

D70

whitelabel

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

Those students go on to be those professionals you spoke about. More work than fun, but the sharing with others of the same age is the "fun" bit.



Don't let the "miss" bit fool you; I'm in the over 35 bracket.

I'm thinking of getting a lodger when I can be sure that neither of my two children (both under 35) don't need to return home to live. BTW, both of my two could afford to rent their own place as they work, but choose to share for the company.

i meant if you were living in shared accommodation would you want to live with the type of circumstances that i have described my friend as having ? or would chose to have someone else live there...



Just noticed the LEA that the OP mentioned is the same as my friends - Birmingham - so they have sent all theirs out and describes the similarities in text

Dunroamin

whitelabel wrote: »

i meant if you were living in shared accommodation would you want to live with the type of circumstances that i have described my friend as having ? or would chose to have someone else live there...

t

I'd think that many people taking a lodger would be more than happy to rent to someone who lived very quietly, stayed in their own room most of the time and didn't have friends round!

cattie

Wow, some very harsh and unsympathetic replies here. I hope those that have made harsh replies never find themselves out of work & either struggle with the rent with reduced HB available to them or find that the DWP suddenly stop helping with mortgage interest payments.

mynameistallulah

cattie wrote: »

Wow, some very harsh and unsympathetic replies here. I hope those that have made harsh replies never find themselves out of work & either struggle with the rent with reduced HB available to them or find that the DWP suddenly stop helping with mortgage interest payments.

What is "sudden" about this? This has been all over the news for the best part of a year - how anyone that could not know is beyond me!

whitelabel

Dunroamin wrote: »

I'd think that many people taking a lodger would be more than happy to rent to someone who lived very quietly, stayed in their own room most of the time and didn't have friends round!

that may be
but that person is going to be severely affected by the fact they are being in effect evicted from the security of their surroundings and possessions which they have to sell (not much real value) / dispose of ?
worst government decision ... ever

Sandwich

mynameistallulah wrote: »

What is "sudden" about this? This has been all over the news for the best part of a year - how anyone that could not know is beyond me!

Actually there has been very little mention of this particular aspect of the changes to Housing Benefit. The vast majority of the attention has been on the 'benefit cap' and the consequences of this for people in receipt of HB in more expensive areas of the country, such as London.

I didn't see a single news story that mentioned that single people under 35 in self-contained properties would be getting massive cuts (in my case of nearly 50%, and I live in a modest one bedroom ex-council flat where the rent is around £400 per month) and, as I mentioned earlier, this is the first letter I've received notifying me of the changes.

whitelabel

mynameistallulah wrote: »

What is "sudden" about this? This has been all over the news for the best part of a year - how anyone that could not know is beyond me!

because people with illnesses, may not read the news watch papers that you do...
and they have received a letter today out of the blue

i admit i think I first heard of it last jan ?
but my friend hadnt till today...

Dunroamin

cattie wrote: »

Wow, some very harsh and unsympathetic replies here. I hope those that have made harsh replies never find themselves out of work & either struggle with the rent with reduced HB available to them or find that the DWP suddenly stop helping with mortgage interest payments.

Many of us, despite having had decently paid jobs, were never able to afford a whole flat to ourselves and rather resent people on benefits thinking that they have a right to do do.

Personally, I shared flats and houses until I married in my 30s and then, when money was tight, we had lodgers and people in to share, so I'm not advocating people doing something I haven't done myself.

mynameistallulah

Sandwich wrote: »

Actually there has been very little mention of this particular aspect of the changes to Housing Benefit. The vast majority of the attention has been on the 'benefit cap' and the consequences of this for people in receipt of HB in more expensive areas of the country, such as London.

I didn't see a single news story that mentioned that single people under 35 in self-contained properties would be getting massive cuts (in my case of nearly 50%, and I live in a modest one bedroom ex-council flat where the rent is around £400 per month) and, as I mentioned earlier, this is the first letter I've received notifying me of the changes.

Well then you have to take some personal responsibility here. This has been covered by the media, and of course it was in the Budget. Even if you don't read the whole thing, it is very easy to scan through the report and pick out the bits that apply to you - that is what I do. You did not do this, and hence you did not know.

I do sympathise with your position, but the fact is that you should have been aware of this in advance of the LA informing you.