Bedroom Tax / Under occupancy advice

bright_side

Morlock wrote: »

Yes, because many social housing tenants remain unaffected, even where they are under-occupying, either because they are of pension credit age, or not claiming housing benefit.
Only tenants claiming housing benefit will be affected, it is a policy designed to cut housing benefit, not to solve the 'problem' of social housing tenants having one spare room (81% of those affected have only one spare room).

The government are aware that there is a shortage of one-bedroom properties for the majority of those that have to move or top-up rent, therefore those tenants have no choice but to pay rent from other benefits or become homeless.

Completely agree. If this was about under occupancy and freeing up larger homes for those who NEED them, it would be effecting EVERYONE who has unused bedrooms, not just those on housing benefit!!

seven-day-weekend

iluvmarmite wrote: »

It's fine for people to say if you are under occupied in social housing and can't find a social housing one bed place then move to the private rented sector, but if you are claimimg HB it usually means you are on benefits or low income, where are you supposed to find the months deposit and months rent in advance as well as agency fees if you use an estate agent.

And as everyone knows social housing is very secure, private rented is not so why should someone have to give up a secure home, once you leave social housing you won't get back into it.

Fine. I agree with that. I would not want to give up a secure tenancy either.

So there are two alternatives if you don't want to move and you remain on Benefits.

1) Pay the extra and do without something else
2) Get a lodger

And before people start talking about 'strangers in my home', my husband and I have had lodgers over the years when money has been tight and we have needed to pay the mortgage. All but one came by word-of-mouth recommendation. Maybe you have a young friend or family member who is also going to have to downsize or pay extra. They could come and live in your spare room, pay rent to you and solve both their problem and yours.

(Sorry, OP, I've just realised that this has no relevance to your situation, but the discussion appears to have become more generalised).

supersaver2013

With regards to taking in a lodger- my mum lives on her own, so having a Stranger in her home is really not an option, especially with her anxiety. This is why she IS looking to downsizing, unfortunatly there are alot of obstacles in her way now

Dunroamin

Morlock wrote: »

"There is a national shortage of one-bedroom properties as compared with the number of households deemed to require this size of home..."

http://www.defra.gov.uk/crc/files/Rural_housing_and_economic_change_summary2.pdf

That quotation relates to social housing and specifically in rural areas, neither of which is relevant to the current discussion.

RAS

supersaver2013 wrote: »

H
Also! there is a £200 odd debt from around 5/6 yrs ago, when she has an IVA (think its called that). She explained that she had this, and paid it off over a year ago. They went on to advise that even though they wont chase her for it, it will remain on the account and therefore scuppers her chance of moving to more social housing.

Not sure who she did her IVA with but she should have been advised rather more carefully that that.

Did she get advice from a debt charity? She should have been advised that although all debts are cleared by the IVA, suppliers of priority items like housing and utilities arre liable to withdraw them unless the debt is re-paid in full.

She needs to go back to her IVA provider and ask them to supply a full account of the money paid to the Council as part of the IVA.

supersaver2013

Thanks RAS, yeah looks like she will have to

supersaver2013

BTW, it was via CAB that she recieved the advice

Morlock

Dunroamin wrote: »

That quotation relates to social housing and specifically in rural areas, neither of which is relevant to the current discussion.

Nowhere does it state that it refers only to social housing, nor that it relates only to rural areas. In fact, it specifically states that the shortage of one-bedroom properties is worse in rural areas.

miduck

Morlock wrote: »

"There is a national shortage of one-bedroom properties as compared with the number of households deemed to require this size of home..."

http://www.defra.gov.uk/crc/files/Rural_housing_and_economic_change_summary2.pdf

Morlock wrote: »

Nowhere does it state that it refers only to social housing, nor that it relates only to rural areas. In fact, it specifically states that the shortage of one-bedroom properties is worse in rural areas.

You might want to refer to the title of the document ...

Morlock

miduck wrote: »

You might want to refer to the title of the document ...

You might want to read the quote in context:

"Policy reform

• The reduction of Housing Benefit for working age social tenants who ‘underoccupy’ their homes will impact disproportionately on rural areas.

This is because:

• There is a national shortage of one-bedroom properties as compared with the number of households deemed to require this size of home, and this shortage is worse in rural areas which typically have fewer flats."

It does not make any sense to suggest that what it means is:

"There is a national shortage of one-bedroom properties as compared with the number of households deemed to require this size of home in rural areas, and this shortage is worse in rural areas which typically have fewer flats"

Absolutely nonsensical.