Bedroom Tax and kids living away??

sulkisu

Have you applied for mutual exchange? Try registering with Homeswapper.

princessdon

Morlock wrote: »

Good in theory, the problem being that social housing tenants do not get a lot of choice. Often, refusing the offer of a property will affect priority on the waiting list, turning down an offer would mean being shunted to the back of the queue, often after several years of waiting.

Or renting privately - which they do still have the option.

princessdon

garyandsandra wrote: »

@ VALLI we have already asked for a 2 bed house on 3 occasions to be told there is none available!.
It took my mother in law 15 years to get a bungalow because of the shortages bearing in mind she has a disabled son who cant get upstairs and had to have a bed in the living room.

All you are so quick to jump in before asking anything, judging people as you see fit.

We have done everything we can from asking the Council to downsize us, to finding other work. When your in full time work its great, i love those days but untill your out of work through no fault of your own its a different story!!

So look at private rental, chances are you pay far more than the tax though and still not have a room for your children.

Arguing on here isn't going to change a thing. The time to argue was when PR were affected years ago, but the market rental was divided. SH tenants were OK so didn't lend their support (a collective could have lended more weight). Now PR will support this move.

For each complaint, Facebook page, petition others will be saying if you change SH change PR. it can't happen.

Perhaps your mother would have waited far less if more gave up rooms (single) to allow that 2 bed she needs with your brother. It's unfair anyone in her position waited that long!

Valli

garyandsandra wrote: »

@ VALLI we have already asked for a 2 bed house on 3 occasions to be told there is none available!.
It took my mother in law 15 years to get a bungalow because of the shortages bearing in mind she has a disabled son who cant get upstairs and had to have a bed in the living room.

All you are so quick to jump in before asking anything, judging people as you see fit.

We have done everything we can from asking the Council to downsize us, to finding other work. When your in full time work its great, i love those days but untill your out of work through no fault of your own its a different story!!

Well, just focussing on your case then.

At one point in the thread you claim you 'need' the three bed for your kids, when they visit; now you're saying you HAVE asked to be downsized?

The problem the councils have is a reduced social housing stock; because people have bought. Add to that people have been granted tenancies 'for life' and you do get elderly people rattling about in 2 and 3 bedroom houses they clearly don't need. Councils have, in the past, offered incentives for those in more-than-adequate housing to downsize. Now the Government is 'forcing' the issue.

If this were me, then, I would be putting my request for a 2 bed in writing and seeing if that gets me out of the tax on the 3rd bedroom. In fact you might even get a judicial review (or whatever they are called) on this one, if you can find a sponsor/supporter. It cannot be fair to force people to pay a tax on a bedroom they 'cannot' use and yet deny them the option to downsize. Given that the intention of this tax, as far as I can see, is to encourage poeple to downsize there should be properites available for them to downsize to.

Maybe Mr. Lewis could take up this one?

garyandsandra

This is what is annoying me the most, We have tried to downsize but they are refusing yet they are forcing me to pay for an unused room. I dont want the Room but there are no alternatives to take!
Yes i did say i need 3 bedrooms as we have 2 girls in bunk beds and a boy in the other room.
I would sleep downstairs every fortnight if neccessary with the wife and give the kids our room .
There ages are 13, 10 and 6 so the older ones do need some level of privacy but we could manage.
Like i say, we keep being told there is no 2 bed properties but in turn you must pay us for having 3!!

BigAunty

Apologies if this has already been mentioned as I've skim-read the thread but have you looked into a mutual exchange? This is something that tenants organise between themselves with the permission of their social housing landlords. Your landlord or council may have info on the national and local schemes that are running for social housing swaps.

Valli

then, in that case, complain to your MP; battle for a judicial review; complain to the council.

evenasus

Morlock wrote: »

Then owner-occupiers.

I don't think anyone has the right to tell someone, who has bought their house, (I don't mean council house - the sale of which I thought was very wrong) to sell their 4 bedroom house and buy a smaller one.

Morlock

evenasus wrote: »

I don't think anyone has the right to tell someone, who has bought their house, (I don't mean council house - the sale of which I thought was very wrong) to sell their 4 bedroom house and buy a smaller one.

I never suggested that anyone should be forced to sell their house.

princessdon

No you just think it should be taxed. When they tax housing benefit then perhaps this has merit to equalise. However if someone gets zero benefit they can't remove from zero.