Bedroom tax and private rent

mrs_motivated

Morlock wrote: »

How is it a 'subsidised property'?

He is saying that because council rents are lower than housing association rents. However this will change with rent convergence.

He is failing to realise that it is not subsidy. Housing management and repairs etc to council properties are paid from the rental income (it is ring fenced) although I admit its a holey fence as it supports many items of general fund expenditure. For example ASB units are often funded by the HRA, but the services are used by folk in private rents and by owner occupiers. So council tenant rents, subsidise other things (although they shouldn't)

Council housing is self funding, unless he means subsidised by housing benefit.

Read up about the moonlight robbery campaign.

sniggings

mrs_motivated wrote: »

He is saying that because council rents are lower than housing association rents. However this will change with rent convergence.

rent convergence is not so much in relation to private v social housing, council and housing association are normally classed as the same thing, the convergence aspect of this policy is to have one social housing formula to set the prices on social housing, not between social and private, the only aspect of this policy that relates to private rentals, is the aim to have social housing costs remain well below those in the private sector.

Anny_2

Dunroamin wrote: »

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.

Are the many people you are writing about registered blind? are they physically disabled? 20 miles there and back is 40 miles so although that may not be far to travel for 'pleasure' for a sighted or non-disabled person I should imagine for a non-sighted or disabled person there would be little if any pleasure in having to travel that far for 'pleasure', although I did also say 'support' also in my post and that in my book is not pleasure, but a need.

Even travelling once a week and undertaking a journey that could take up to 3+ hours (depending on bus route, and rural buses tend to visit several villages off the main drag) and which could also necessitate a bus change + a walk at the beginning and end of journey would be a possible nightmare for a non-sighted or disabled person. They may feel the need for support more than once a week, to me it is just too much to expect and I fear the travelling being too much they would not continue with their social activities and visiting friends and could then become isolated.

I totally understand what nannytone is saying regarding the security needed by disabled people and to me that need for security should, in an enlightened society, be both acknowledged and protected. We all have an hierarchy of basic needs, but in the case of disability there are more to be added to the hierarchy...and one I would suggest would be 'staying in the community in which the person feels most safe, secure and supported...even if that is a very small radius.

It is not a choice to be disabled, it is not choosing to stay in a 2 bed so the grandkids can stay over at w/ends and expecting the taxpayer to pay for that 'choice', it is a 'need' to stay in a 2 bed for many reasons. Often it was not a choice to accept a property with an extra bedroom, but due to very limited numbers of one bed appropriate accommodation, 2 beds was offered and accepted in 'good faith'.

nannytone has made many changes to her home and made it a place of safety and to be made to give that up because of economical pressure not of her own making is,to me,criminal. I am at a loss why people do not understand this and would suggest they should imagine if circumstances out of their control meant they were forced from their own homes by the government, how would they feel? because I know I would feel very afraid and vulnerable, and I am not disabled and can earn money and rent/buy another property, but home is home and many have made those homes lovely on very restricted finances and are now being forced to move to possibly substandard properties that they will not be able to afford to make lovely, it is just disgusting, and I cannot believe the needs of disabled people have not been acknowledged and those needs adjusted for in this part of the Welfare Reform Bill.

I have never had a problem with paying taxes towards supporting those in society who need welfare benefits, but I am beginning to resent the fact that my taxes are not paying towards supporting fully those who genuinely need it anymore - and I can only hope that many others will begin to feel the same way and some of these ridiculous policies that have not been thought through will be challenged and in some way amended.

I do agree with you that there should be a vast programme of social housing and I am sure it would solve many problems, but that will not help disabled people now, and the social misery it will cause to some.

paddedjohn

Morlock wrote: »

How is it a 'subsidised property'?

The rents are typically 30/40% less than private rents and also where do you think the cash comes from for the right to buy discounts? tenants can get discounts equivelant to the rent theyve paid over the years and in some cases this rent has been paid for with benefits so they can live there rent free and then get a house. Sounds like a subsidy to me.

dottydeb

There are many loop holes in this new 'bedroom tax'. It is really going to affect Disabled people who are not pensioners. What I'd like to know is, to avoid paying some of your rent, where are all these one bedroom propertys, that are suitable for the disabled, going to come from?? They don't exist. They are not available in the private sector, where they've been adapted, ie, with a wet room, etc. I have tried to find out as much information as I can. But the more I find out, the more terrifying it is. And, I am panicking. The only option to try and find a 'suitable' disabled property, is to swap your home, on Homeswapper. I've tried for 2 years. Even then, you may only find a 2 bed and for a single disabled person, you'd still have to pay for one extra bedroom. YES, you can 'try' and claim that you need someone to stay overnight. However, you have to pay someone out of your DLA, to stay overnight. No one could afford that, every night! Factor in the cost of moving, buying new flooring, etc., etc. The stress of moving. There are, 'discretionary housing payments'. the critea for that is very high. As your local council only has a limited fund for this. I read on my council website, that, it would only be for the short term, anyway. So, what then?
I can't find any information about people with mental health issues. And the effect on them, will be huge.
Yes, in an ideal world, larger properties need to be available for familys.
My situation is this. I am 55. I am Disabled. Physically. I am 95% bed bound. I also have Bipolar. I have carers coming in every day. I pay towards this, out of my DLA.
I live in a 3 bedroom, HA house. I have lived here 21 years. Brought up my 4 boys here. Have spent a lot of money on the house. I have no savings. And my bathroom has been adapted, with a grant. I am applying for a stair lift. If, I wa to move, I'd need a one bedroom bungalow. There aren't any. I am not moving to a flat. I couldn't cope, mentally with someone living above me. I NEED a garden. It helps my sanity, plus, I have dogs and cats. They are not a 'luxury'. I can assure you. Without them, I couldn't 'cope'. My carers are the only human contact I have. I am estranged from 3 of my boys, due to my Bipolar. My youngest, is at University, at the other end of the country, to me.
The cost of living go's up all the time. Food. Utilities. All, this 'extra' money you have to find out of your DLA. Yes, I have a home phone and broadband. (My laptop, is my life line). I have to do my shopping on line, for one thing. I do not have a tv package. Yes, I have a mobile, in case I fall etc., and have to call for help. Yes, I have to pay for my animals. There are enough unwanted animals in this country and people, 'dumping them', because they can't afford to keep them.
As if, not all this is enough to cope with, we then have to go through the indignity of DLA being abolished and having to go through the whole, very stressful process of claiming, Personal Independence payment.
There is no care or compassion from this government. Not for people born in this country anyway. I'm not a rascist. But, that is all, another subject.
Disabled people are gong to 'slip beneath the net'. And, I wouldn't be surprised if many of them, don't commit suicide. The impact will be huge. What do you have to live for??
Some of the comments left on this thread are just, well out of order. And, detrimental.
And, go to prove, some, peoples attitude towards, disabled people.

trippydog

dottydeb wrote: »

I'm not a rascist. But...

Always a thread-killer!

Some great info here, cheers everyone who shared facts and figures and clarified some of the governments terms.

albertramsbottom

There seems to be a lot of people in this thread suggesting that they have two choices.
1. to keep there social housing and be skint
2. to move in to private rented and lose their security

Well private rented tenants have since 2007 been subject to the bedroom tax, the only difference here is the fact that private rented tenants pay more rent so lose more

I lost my job and live in a two bedroomed private rented house with my partner. We pay 625 a month which is reasonable in the area. However due to the 2007 bedroom tax we only get 364 a month which is the 1 bed rate LHA. That is a shortfall off £261 a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We only receive 227 a fortnight from JSA, so we need to find 2.5 weeks worth of JSA to find for the rent

Put that in your pipe and smoke it :mad:

BTW there is no one bedroom properties in my area at all

Housing_Benefit_Officer

albertramsbottom wrote: »

There seems to be a lot of people in this thread suggesting that they have two choices.
1. to keep there social housing and be skint
2. to move in to private rented and lose their security

Well private rented tenants have since 2007 been subject to the bedroom tax, the only difference here is the fact that private rented tenants pay more rent so lose more

I lost my job and live in a two bedroomed private rented house with my partner. We pay 625 a month which is reasonable in the area. However due to the 2007 bedroom tax we only get 364 a month which is the 1 bed rate LHA. That is a shortfall off £261 a month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We only receive 227 a fortnight from JSA, so we need to find 2.5 weeks worth of JSA to find for the rent

Put that in your pipe and smoke it :mad:

BTW there is no one bedroom properties in my area at all

Necromonger!!!! Resurrecting the dead.

Chrysalis

benefitbaby wrote: »

Hi
The 'bedroom tax' will only apply to people in social housing.

Implications for people in the private sector will come later when the benefit cap and Universal Credit comes in as it will be housing costs that are reduced first.

Those implications are already here, they just didnt get the press footage.

In the private sector housing benefit doesnt pay for excess rooms, the bedroom tax actually does bring that in line with the private sector, I dont agree with how the bedroom tax has been carried out, but I am pointing this out.

Before they introduced bedroom tax 25-34 year olds had their housing benefit cut, previously that age groupd was entitled for rent help on a 1 bed enclosed property it got changed in 2012 (I think) to shared room entitlement, this was applied to all existing claimants meaning cuts in housing benefit/LHA. In the private sector the difference between shared room rate and one bed rate is quite big. There is no such thing as home swap or similiar in the private sector, everyone affected was hung out to dry with DHP as their only possible relief. The fact this had no bad press, probably meant they were confident in introducing the bedroom tax.

Chrysalis

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. Even if you earned £1k a week and lived there I would say the same.

and where are these 1 bed social properties?

you make it sound like its easy peasy.