Housing benefit reductions for having more rooms than needed

wantsajob

Thought there might be lots of discussion on this already, but unable to find it?

There isn't enough social housing in the UK, and if you're not a priority housing need - you stand little to no chance of being able to move anyway. The policy is obviously going to create a great deal of needless hardship by effectively forcing people to pay for something they already have - when there is no potential to make it any different.

I agree something needs to be done - but this is obviously being used more as a money-grabbing opportunity. There might be a whole host of reasons people haven't moved. I'm aware of an instance where someone who had a relative who lived in the home, recently died, and they are are now getting letters in the post saying they'll have to pay a certain amount of rent as they have more bedrooms than they need. Is this going to be a new feature of our welfare state? Someone dies, and the next thing in the post is a bill for the rent?

I wonder if you can work your way up the priority list with a note from the doctor saying how negatively the potential rent charge impacts mental health? Hmmmm.

coffeelover65

Its referred to as the "Bedroom Tax", the government knows that there's not enough properties for people to move into smaller properties and the "savings" are expected to be made from people staying put and making up the shortfall themselves.

Regarding the doctors issue, health issues are taken into account when looking at priority status but I doubt it will mean much. The reason is that there's a lack of 1 bedroom properties in the social sector, people that live alone will be expected to move into the private sector if they can't secure a scarce 1 bedroom social property.

trevormax

tldr: there is help, speak to your council asap

Long answer: Part of the reason for this bedroom tax is to make the system fair. At the moment, people in private accommodation are already affected by these rules. This change is bringing people in social housing in line with the private rental people. And why should people in social housing receive full rent for a 2, 3 or in some cases more bedroom house when they don't need all those rooms?

Another part of the change is to encourage people to downsize to a smaller property allowing families that NEED those extra bedrooms, that are desperate for them and have 5, 6 or more people living in a one bedroom flat to finally find somewhere suitable to live. Yes I know they put them selves in that position in the first place by having children when they knew they didn't have space at home for them but then that's not the children's fault so they shouldn't have to suffer.

To help people find a smaller property quickly, councils are bringing in/have brought in priority downsizing lists and some/all are going to help with moving costs. These people wont just be dumped on to the general waiting list and expected to fend for them selves. The councils will be helping them. They will be offering discretionary housing benefits to pay for the shortfall temporarily should the claimant qualify.

People of pensionable age will be exempt. People who have real medical or social needs will be offered DHP or exemptions. People who where eligible until a family member passed away will be given a period of exemption (a year I think) before the under occupation rules apply. People who are affected by the under occupation rules now but will not be in a short amount of time (so people about to be awarded an extra bedroom eligibility because a child hits a significant age) can be granted DHP to cover the shortfall until they aren't affected. People can take in a lodger and the claimant is granted one more bedroom eligibility plus the amount of HB reduced for lodger income will have the first £20 disregarded.

The government is offering a lot of help to people affected. Unfortunately, some people that have lived in their social house for a long time will need to pay the difference like everyone in private housing does already or move to a smaller more suitable house. There is help and the people that will be most negatively affected are the people that choose to ignore that help or do nothing.

Fortunately the amount that HB is reduced by wont be huge. In fact people in social housing are STILL much better off than people in private accommodation. Around here the average 3 bed social house costs about £110/week rent so about £15/week if under-occupying by one bedroom and about £27/week if by 2 or more bedrooms if they get full HB.

rogerblack

trevormax wrote: »

To help people find a smaller property quickly, councils are bringing in/have brought in priority downsizing lists and some/all are going to help with moving costs. These people wont just be dumped on to the general waiting list and expected to fend for them selves. The councils will be helping them. They will be offering discretionary housing benefits to pay for the shortfall temporarily should the claimant qualify.

This is at best optimistic.
Missing in your post is the mention that there are many areas with no, or almost no one bed properties, as they either were never built, or in combination with the right to buy mean they have all gone away.

lighting_up_the_chalice

rogerblack wrote: »

This is at best optimistic.
Missing in your post is the mention that there are many areas with no, or almost no one bed properties, as they either were never built, or in combination with the right to buy mean they have all gone away.

There's always the private sector.

nannytone_2

lighting_up_the_chalice wrote: »

There's always the private sector.

is that the same privqte sector that charges more than the local LHA rate and offers no scurity?

just what the disabled/vulnerable need

Bootsalebargains

We're having a row with our council over this.
We are officially in a 3 but 5 years ago social service knocked 2 of the bedroom into 1 so we only actually have 2 bedrooms but the council are saying we are a 3 and only need 2 so have to pay the difference. I have phoned them and wrote to them but still getting no where.

lighting_up_the_chalice

nannytone wrote: »

is that the same privqte sector that charges more than the local LHA rate and offers no scurity?

just what the disabled/vulnerable need

That's the one. And it IS an option.

Oh, and not all social housing tenants are disabled/vulnerable.

lighting_up_the_chalice

Bootsalebargains wrote: »

We're having a row with our council over this.
We are officially in a 3 but 5 years ago social service knocked 2 of the bedroom into 1 so we only actually have 2 bedrooms but the council are saying we are a 3 and only need 2 so have to pay the difference. I have phoned them and wrote to them but still getting no where.

The bedroom count won't take into consideration such alterations apart from on very limited grounds (ie to provide adaptations for a disability).

gingergee

Bootsalebargains wrote: »

We're having a row with our council over this.
We are officially in a 3 but 5 years ago social service knocked 2 of the bedroom into 1 so we only actually have 2 bedrooms but the council are saying we are a 3 and only need 2 so have to pay the difference. I have phoned them and wrote to them but still getting no where.

That takes the mic!!! Hope you get it sorted x

Buellguy

Bootsalebargains wrote: »

We're having a row with our council over this.
We are officially in a 3 but 5 years ago social service knocked 2 of the bedroom into 1 so we only actually have 2 bedrooms but the council are saying we are a 3 and only need 2 so have to pay the difference. I have phoned them and wrote to them but still getting no where.

Agree with the others, if YOU did it, then you are fair game, but THEY (authorities) did it