Bedroom Tax / Under occupancy advice

RAS

theoldcastle wrote: »

How old is your mum ? If she is a pensioner the room tax will not affect her !

it seems not.

seven-day-weekend

The Under-occupancy rule will not affect people of pension age.

However, IMHO it should.

I say this because it is quite often pensioners who are living in family-size homes on their own or as a couple and these could be freed up for families. The couple/single pensioner could then be given a one-bedroom place, so that they still have the secure tenancy.

I am a pensioner myself.

BigAunty

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

The Under-occupancy rule will not affect people of pension age.

However, IMHO it should.

I say this because it is quite often pensioners who are living in family-size homes on their own or as a couple and these could be freed up for families. The couple/single pensioner could then be given a one-bedroom place, so that they still have the secure tenancy.

I am a pensioner myself.

Let's be honest here, it didn't happen because even though some of the elderly are seen as family housing hoggers, it's a vote killer to retrospectively apply it to pensioners.

It would be such bad PR for any govt to be seen to kick out poor little widow women from properties where they raised their children, even if there are 2 or 3 unused rooms and thousands of overcrowded households on the waiting lists for it.

Pensioners are very political - that's why the govt court them, throw benefits at them compared to other social groups and are generally woo'd and excluded from the worst of the budget changes.

nannytone_2

yet again .... where are these one bed properties?

in my small market town, we have a pensioner population of almost 60%, with lots of purpose built bunglows.
all these bungalows have 2 bedrooms.

seven-day-weekend

nannytone wrote: »

yet again .... where are these one bed properties?

in my small market town, we have a pensioner population of almost 60%, with lots of purpose built bunglows.
all these bungalows have 2 bedrooms.

There are loads of bungalows (including sheltered) and ground floor flats and retirement complexes in our town.

Even if there are only two bedroom, these bungalows and flats could still be given to elderly people in exchange for freeing up a two-three bedroomed family house.

seven-day-weekend

nannytone wrote: »

yet again .... where are these one bed properties?

in my small market town, we have a pensioner population of almost 60%, with lots of purpose built bunglows.
all these bungalows have 2 bedrooms.

There are loads of ground floor flats and retirement complexes and bungalows (including sheltered) in our town.

Even if there are only two bedroom available, these bungalows and flats could still be given to elderly people in exchange for freeing up a two/three/four bedroomed family house.

nannytone_2

ok i accept that.

so where fo the single disabled live? or is it ok for them to have to pay more purely because there are no 1 bed properties?

seven-day-weekend

nannytone wrote: »

ok i accept that.

so where fo the single disabled live? or is it ok for them to have to pay more purely because there are no 1 bed properties?

No, it is not OK, they should be eligible for the flats that are available and not have to pay extra rent.

ziggzag

Hi new to the board.

Thought I'd put my situation up for discussion as I'm sure others will be in the same boat.

I moved into a new build housing association property approx 3 yrs ago and currently have 1 spare room in the house so I will have to pay approx £13 per week from JSA towards my housing. I'm a single parent so money already extremely tight.

Although I understand that reforms need to happen I feel there has been no common sense used in this case. I was placed in this property as my local authority house was under a demolition order and no longer exists. The property I'm in now was built especially for tenants of the previous inadequate housing. I had no choice in the property size that I was given and after spending nearly 20 years living in sub standard housing I am reluctant to move into another sub standard council run property. I no I could look at private renting but in this area that would cost the government more in HB than social housing I current live in.

In my area private landlords are charging in the region of £700 a month for their properties rented to those on benefits. In my opinion that is where the reforms should be looked at.

bright_side

The problem is that councils/housing associations have up until now, 'given' people properties somewhat regardless of size, so that people who need them had homes. The other problem is that it ISN'T the council/ha that have suddenly decided that people in receipt of housing benefit have to pay for spare rooms - it is the government.
It is out of the councils hands.

Have you tried looking at mutual exchanges? I recently downsized from a 15 yr old house that I'd had from new to a 12 yr old house that has had 2 previous tenants - it is in much worse repair than my previous home, but it is a very nice house despite that and at the end of the day I have a home that I can afford to live in.