Bedroom tax and private rent

nannytone_2

FBaby .... i totally accept what you are saying, and imn most cases, it would be a good idea.

I live in a rural area, in a small market town.
that is what it calls itself, but in fact, its a large village.

we have large amounts of social housing, both council and housing association.

there are only 2, 1 bedroom properties. both designated at ' supported housing for young people'.

there has been only one, 1 bedroomed flat available in the past year to rent privately, and the weekly rent was advertised as £105, which is £18 over the LHA rate for a 1 bed property.

Along side the greater op up of rent, there is also no security of tenure, which abl bodied people must appreciate is a big concern for disabled people. day to dy life is stressful enough, without having to worry if you will have somewhere to live in 6 months time.

i am 49 now, and my total life savings were 3k ( i am not a long term benefit claimant, but i am in th position i am because of the breakdown of a long term relationship)

i spent every penny of my savings, making my housing association property as comfortable for myself in the future as i could. i will never be in a position to buy new furnityre/appliances/ carpets again..

the thought that i will have to walk away and lave ut for a private rental .... with shabby carpets and old, beglected appliances, fulls me with despair.

as i previously mention, the property i have, was viewed and turned down by 2 families nefore it was offered to me.

this area has no deficit of social housing. a 16 year old, that has a baby can expect to be allocared a house within 2 months. even the pensioners bungalows are all 2 bedroomed.

as my disability is sensory, i dont attract the high amounts of benefit that physicallt disabled people can attract.

i have £140 a week coming in,
my electric is £89 a month.
my water is £30 a month.
my phone and broadband ( not a luxury to someone with a isual impaurment) is £25 a month.[

i am aware that compared to someone thaat is on JSA, i have more income.
but i also have no prospect of improving my situation.

i am very good with money, and get by ok, but i dont smoke or drink, and i am not extravagent.

the thought that i will lose an addition £20 a week because of the changes to housing benefit and council tax benefit is stressing me out beyond belief.

if i was in this position short term, or because of my own making then i would accept it without compkaint.

but i have no choice./B]

earthbound_misfit

FBaby wrote: »

Claimants should be expected to free larger properties BUT there should be criteria as to the process. People who can demonstrate a genuine need to stay in their area ie. sensory disabilities, severe mental health issues not just anxiety or stress should be given more time to find something local. It might take longer however there's bound to be a time when such a property fees up and when it does there should be no choice.

Erm, anxiety can be severe too, and very debilitating. (Don't know about stress). Depression, too, can be very severe (also seen as a bit malingering), and is also often a catch-all term including people who have suffered abuse or traumatic events that don't quite fit into other diagnostic criteria (eg. PTSD diagnosis requires certain specific traumas to have happened). Anxiety and depression are so often co-morbid with other conditions, or even part of other conditions, that they are the only thing the person can definitely be diagnosed with. Also people will tell others "depression" when it may be more complex to save a long explanation of terms.
Obviosuly depression/anxiety can be milder too and have less effect on a person's life, but there are so many people really struggling too, with inadequate mental health services to actually recover. Please do point your frustrations in the direction of MH services/health trusts/MP's who oversee the lack of treatments for people and result in long-term claims!!
I do actually agree with what you're saying about freeing up properties, just wanted to point this out!

It does seem very odd that older people are exempt from these changes if the aim is to free up social property though.
I think the onus should be on the government to actually provide the alternative housing, either by building or buying properties. People should only be forced to move if there is a suitable property in the local area. In the long term it would surely be a saving for government as they would be paying housing benefit to themselves, or collecting rent to maintain their properties, rather than this going to pay off a private landlord's mortgage.
If this all sound a bit nanny-state, consider the rules the average Joe has to abide by, especially planning permission, parking of motor vehicles/temporary camps, this kind of thing. It seems the Conservative dream (probably all of them to some extent actually) is to control the masses whilst extracting as much money from them as possible, ideally no state benefits whatsoever so they have lots of desperate people willing to work all hours for peanuts. Providing things like the NHS and benefits just seems to be a placating measure to avoid a full-on uprising and revolution.
Gosh I sound really revolutionary/political, do excuse me! I'm not really against the idea of a state or government as such, but think it should work in the interests of the many, not the few.

Dunroamin

Anny wrote: »

Are you blind Dunroamin? no of course not you just 'learned to drive' - is that an option for a blind person? no of course not.

I live 19 miles from the nearest big city and in car it takes me 30 mins approx to get to my place of employment - on bus it takes 1 hour and 45 minutes and that includes a change of buses in a main bus station...if I miss the connection it takes much longer.

To a sighted person that journey, while being long, would be acceptable - to a non-sighted person I would suggest it would be unacceptable and very difficult, and more difficult if the friends/support/social needs you have can only be accessed by journeying for 3 + hours...the time the journey takes alone would limit your access substantially.

I can only say that, for many people, living 20 miles away from family and friends is living very close to them. Also, travelling for pleasure is a very different thing from travelling to and from work every day.

This isn't aimed at anyone in particular but to say that there isn't accommodation available locally and then define locally as being just one village is just being too narrow.

I agree that there should be a vast programme of social housing which would solve many problems.

RockGypsy

I'm really don't know/understand enough about this bedroom tax.I live with partner in 2 bed council house,if we paid the extra money for the bedroom could we stay living here or would they want us out,anyone know?
We`d willingly downsize to a 1 bed flat in fact we`d prefer it as we don't need the extra bedroom and my partner has bad arthritis and has trouble getting up the stairs.Only problem is there isnt many flats around here council or private.
What would be our best option? We haven't a clue anyone help please ?
thanks

sniggings

RockGypsy wrote: »

I'm really don't know/understand enough about this bedroom tax.I live with partner in 2 bed council house,if we paid the extra money for the bedroom could we stay living here or would they want us out,anyone know?
We`d willingly downsize to a 1 bed flat in fact we`d prefer it as we don't need the extra bedroom and my partner has bad arthritis and has trouble getting up the stairs.Only problem is there isnt many flats around here council or private.
What would be our best option? We haven't a clue anyone help please ?
thanks

yes you can stay, you will just be made to pay the 14% of your housing benefit to stay there, unless you fall into one of the groups that are exempt, such as the Tory's biggest voting group the pensioners, some people with disablity and maybe more groups I don't know about.

Check with your council they should have a policy on helping those that want to downsize.

RockGypsy

sniggings wrote: »

yes you can stay, you will just be made to pay the 14% of your housing benefit to stay there, unless you fall into one of the groups that are exempt, such as the Tory's biggest voting group the pensioners, some people with disablity and maybe more groups I don't know about.

Check with your council they should have a policy on helping those that want to downsize.

Thanks a lot i`ll check our councils website for downsizing,my partner is on the highest level of ESA and is going to be trying to claim DLA soon,not sure if this would exempt us.

sniggings

RockGypsy wrote: »

Thanks a lot i`ll check our councils website for downsizing,my partner is on the highest level of ESA and is going to be trying to claim DLA soon,not sure if this would exempt us.

it might do, as I can't see how the Tories can take money off someone who's only income is from disability payments and still live with themselves :mad:

barnaby-bear

Morlock wrote: »

I think most people who are affected by this tax are in the same position. Moving out of their current social housing property will increase the housing benefit bill, as an equivalent, private property will cost more to rent but not be subject to the tax. The private property being within the LHA limit.

I don't think that's true. Someone underoccupying a 2-bed moves into a private 1-bed, yes that might be more than the 2-bed social housing but a couple+child in a more expensive 2-bed private can move into the 2-bed social - result a 1-bed rather than 2-bed rented from the private sector and more people in social housing.

barnaby-bear

lee5768 wrote: »

whats really annoying is that I could move into a private landlord house and claim £100 a week for a house with 2 bedrooms and no central heating and avoid the tax.

So why not do that and a larger family in the private sector can move into your under-occupied place and cut the overall housing bill?

Morlock

paddedjohn wrote: »

No, you should go into a 1 bed property because that is all you need. Why should you have a subsidised property that is more than you need.

How is it a 'subsidised property'?