someone coming to do assesment on house for bedroom tax

Dognobs

kirstycobie wrote: »

aw right, so the likes of one old person living in a 3 bed council house on their own isnt???????

at the end of the day i think if you have differnet sex children they should have their own room from about the age of 6.

once my little one gets to school full time i will be getting a mortgage and wont need a council house!!! because i dont want to live off the government for the rest of my life, but unlike you it seems your just waiting to be handed out left right and centre!!! so dont accuse me of blocking other people when you obviously dont want to get a mortgage and want to stay in your council house that you could be blocking a family to have!!!

I don't want handouts, I own my home and my wife and I work hard for it! But we cannot afford a bigger house so have to make do, unlike council tenents who EXPECT a bigger house everytime they drop another sprog!

lighting_up_the_chalice

Dognobs wrote: »

I don't want handouts, I own my home and my wife and I work hard for it! But we cannot afford a bigger house so have to make do, unlike council tenents who EXPECT a bigger house everytime they drop another sprog!

You clearly feel hard done by, complaining about someone else's circumstances when they clearly don't effect you. If you can't afford a big enough house, have you considered applying for social housing? Or getting a better job? Or just working harder?

Cate1976

I can see why this bedroom tax is coming in as there are so many under occupied houses.

This article is interesting and does raise questions which haven't been clarified. http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/faqs.aspx

The fairest thing to do in cases like OP's where people were allocated a 3 bed property several years ago but only entitled to a 2 bed would be to have them exempt if there aren't any 2 bed property's available in the area.

I also feel that a fair way of dealing with the situation would be that if someone like OP is currently in a 3 bed but entitled to a 2 bed and there's someone in a 2 bed who needs a 3 bed, the 2 do a swap.

Point made in the article about room size and sharing could make a difference to a lot of families. I read somewhere that even though there are rules on room size that after getting in a bed and reasonable storage for clothes and toys, there should be enough space for children to able to play in their room.

To give people an idea of how much play space children need, our social worker told us that the floor space in lounge and hallway isn't enough for 2 children age 2. The amount of clear space is 139 square feet. She also told us that children don't play in their bedrooms. Has to be said that she doesn't have children.

nannytone_2

a good proportion of people that under occupy are pensioners who wont be affected[.
the major problem isnt getting people to swap their 3 beds for 2 beds..... its the dire shortafe of 1 bed social housing.

lets use my example ....
i live in a rural area, in a small market town. the only social housing 1 bed properties are 3 2 1 bed f;ats that are designated as supported housing for young people.

i am registered blind. the ONLY way for me to get a 1 bed flat would be to move to a different town.

my support and friends are where i live now.

having a disaboloty is isolating enough, without someone suggesting that i move to an unfamiliar area where i know no one!

so lets look at renting privately ( which i did a year ago, as a result of being made homeless.

there a half a dozen or so 1 bed private lets. where does the deposit come from? what about all the carpeting etc i have paid for * almost brand new) a private let woill already have carpets flooring.
my LHA rate is already higher than the rent on my cirrent property, so it would be costing the benefits system more!
plus i would still have to top it up by approx the same amount as i will be losing because of this change. i also would have no security.

seems to me i have no choice, as either way i will lose.

lighting_up_the_chalice

nannytone wrote: »

a good proportion of people that under occupy are pensioners who wont be affected[.
the major problem isnt getting people to swap their 3 beds for 2 beds..... its the dire shortafe of 1 bed social housing.

lets use my example ....
i live in a rural area, in a small market town. the only social housing 1 bed properties are 3 2 1 bed f;ats that are designated as supported housing for young people.

i am registered blind. the ONLY way for me to get a 1 bed flat would be to move to a different town.

my support and friends are where i live now.

having a disaboloty is isolating enough, without someone suggesting that i move to an unfamiliar area where i know no one!

so lets look at renting privately ( which i did a year ago, as a result of being made homeless.

there a half a dozen or so 1 bed private lets. where does the deposit come from? what about all the carpeting etc i have paid for * almost brand new) a private let woill already have carpets flooring.
my LHA rate is already higher than the rent on my cirrent property, so it would be costing the benefits system more!
plus i would still have to top it up by approx the same amount as i will be losing because of this change. i also would have no security.

seems to me i have no choice, as either way i will lose.

So, financially you are no worse off than if you were renting privately, you have a spare room to do with as you wish and you have the security of tenure you desire.

nannytone_2

i will be £12 a week worse off ( not insubstantial when living on £140 a week) and my problem is that i have NO choice, as many posters have said that we 'choose' to live where we do. some of us dont have an alternative.

mildred1978

kirstycobie wrote: »

at the end of the day i think if you have differnet sex children they should have their own room from about the age of 6.

That's fine, but I'm not paying for it. If you feel so strongly about it, pay for it yourself.

lighting_up_the_chalice

nannytone wrote: »

i will be £12 a week worse off ( not insubstantial when living on £140 a week) and my problem is that i have NO choice, as many posters have said that we 'choose' to live where we do. some of us dont have an alternative.

I said that you would be no worse off than if you were renting privately, as so many do. It seems that most of your extra costs and inability to move to smaller accommodation are, understandably, due to your disability. But you will be in receipt of additional benefits (such as DLA) which are to cover the additional costs incurred as a result of that disability. Unfortunately, this change to HB and funding your own spare room in order to avoid a move may be just such a cost. You are in the fortunate position of having the extra income to cover it... Many aren't.

nannytone_2

any disabled person would.
those 'less fortunate' are also in a position to better themselves, and that is something that people like myse;fare not able to do.

SingleSue

Dognobs wrote: »

I don't want handouts, I own my home and my wife and I work hard for it! But we cannot afford a bigger house so have to make do, unlike council tenents who EXPECT a bigger house everytime they drop another sprog!

I don't expect a bigger house..in fact, come October, we will officially be overcrowded (middle son turns 16) and I won't be asking to be moved. To be honest, I can't see what difference it makes turning 16 to have to have their own bedroom (I didn't when I lived at home with my parents - privately owned), plus eldest will be off to University next year, so then our house would be the right size officially again.

We are actually down to have a 4 bedroom house (we are in a 3 bed) due to the disabilities but none were available at the time and in the end, I decided it was too much faff and we would make do with what we had.

Mind you, not 'dropped a sprog' since we have lived here and am I not capable of doing so anymore anyway.