Private spare bedroom tax.

Morglin

The bedroom tax would be more acceptable if there were alternative, smaller properties for people to downsize to, which there are not, because most social housing properties, built in the past few years, have been 'larger family homes'.

So, we are now in the ludicrous position of local councils (via local council tax payers) either having to prop up the financial shortfall, and other services being reduced, having to evict tenants and then rehouse them in smaller, but more expensive private lets, which cost more but can be government funded, or having to redesign their properties as less bedroomed, but with an extra study, so that they can be downsized (on paper) and fully funded!

It's costing more than it ever did, for the taxpayer, and the only people doing well out of this silly tax are private landlords, who now have local councils over a proverbial barrel. :mad:

One council, up North, has boarded up entire roads of empty 3 and 4 beds, and are looking at knocking them down, simply because they cannot find tenants who can afford to live in them, because of the bedroom tax.

Yet again, something that may have been a good idea, when written on the back of a fag packet, but something which wasn't realistic within the real world, especially when applied retrospectively.

Only 2% of people have actually downsized within social tenancies, so it hasn't even freed up property.

CLAPTON

Morglin wrote: »

The bedroom tax would be more acceptable if there were alternative, smaller properties for people to downsize to, which there are not, because most social housing properties, built in the past few years, have been 'larger family homes'.

So, we are now in the ludicrous position of local councils (via local council tax payers) either having to prop up the financial shortfall, and other services being reduced, having to evict tenants and then rehouse them in smaller, but more expensive private lets, which cost more but can be government funded, or having to redesign their properties as less bedroomed, but with an extra study, so that they can be downsized (on paper) and fully funded!

It's costing more than it ever did, for the taxpayer, and the only people doing well out of this silly tax are private landlords, who now have local councils over a proverbial barrel. :mad:

One council, up North, has boarded up entire roads of empty 3 and 4 beds, and are looking at knocking them down, simply because they cannot find tenants who can afford to live in them, because of the bedroom tax.

Yet again, something that may have been a good idea, when written on the back of a fag packet, but something which wasn't realistic within the real world, especially when applied retrospectively.

Only 2% of people have actually downsized within social tenancies, so it hasn't even freed up property.

any evidence for this stuff?

Masomnia

It's a benefit cut, it's designed to save money. I don't think they're too bothered if people can't move into smaller accommodation even if it would be more palatable that way. When the housing benefit bill is £23billion it needs trimming, that's just reality, and starting with people who are receiving benefits for space that they don't need should be the first target imho.

On the window tax, I always say it's a good example of good governing. Hard to avoid, easy to assess, richer people in bigger houses pay more. It was an ingenious way of raising money I think.

michaels

Masomnia wrote: »

It's a benefit cut, it's designed to save money. I don't think they're too bothered if people can't move into smaller accommodation even if it would be more palatable that way. When the housing benefit bill is £23billion it needs trimming, that's just reality, and starting with people who are receiving benefits for space that they don't need should be the first target imho.

On the window tax, I always say it's a good example of good governing. Hard to avoid, easy to assess, richer people in bigger houses pay more. It was an ingenious way of raising money I think.

Is it charged per pane or per sqm of glass? Does only glass in windows (not doors) count. What if we brick up the windows?