Another Bedroom Tax Post

Blemaepico

Hi All,

You have been very helpful in the past, so am hoping you could help again, we have a ''bedroom'' in our house that we pay bedroom tax on, I think it's about £17 a week. 

We physically cannot use this room as a bedroom, the room is 3.6ft wide by 16ft (3ft of that 16ft is just under 3ft wide - because of a step in the wall) it is just the section that runs over the walkway below which leads to our garden.

We have spoken to the council who have told us that it is big enough to accommodate a bed and a wardrobe so should be classed as a wardrobe. if we were to put a wardrobe in there, there would be just over a foot to squeeze past.

What is the best way to get around this, we really don't see the benefit of paying £17 per week just to have a room that we cannot use.

Thanks in advance.

Blemaepico

Here are some images to show how small the room is.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

that would be luxury to a Ukrainian refugee, and you would get £350 a month, tax free.

Read THIS.

Jeremy535897

See https://www.mirror.co.uk/money/bedroom-tax-appeal-extra-bedroom-too-small-count-room-5769936

whizzywoo

Blemaepico said:

Hi All,

You have been very helpful in the past, so am hoping you could help again, we have a ''bedroom'' in our house that we pay bedroom tax on, I think it's about £17 a week. 

We physically cannot use this room as a bedroom, the room is 3.6ft wide by 16ft (3ft of that 16ft is just under 3ft wide - because of a step in the wall) it is just the section that runs over the walkway below which leads to our garden.

We have spoken to the council who have told us that it is big enough to accommodate a bed and a wardrobe so should be classed as a wardrobe. if we were to put a wardrobe in there, there would be just over a foot to squeeze past.

What is the best way to get around this, we really don't see the benefit of paying £17 per week just to have a room that we cannot use.

Thanks in advance.

"Bedroom Tax"  is not really a tax it is a reduction in Housing Benefit.  You would be better posting your query on the Benefits and Tax Credits board.
Use this link:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/post/discussion/benefits-tax-credits

Blemaepico

whizzywoo said:

Blemaepico said:

Hi All,

You have been very helpful in the past, so am hoping you could help again, we have a ''bedroom'' in our house that we pay bedroom tax on, I think it's about £17 a week. 

We physically cannot use this room as a bedroom, the room is 3.6ft wide by 16ft (3ft of that 16ft is just under 3ft wide - because of a step in the wall) it is just the section that runs over the walkway below which leads to our garden.

We have spoken to the council who have told us that it is big enough to accommodate a bed and a wardrobe so should be classed as a wardrobe. if we were to put a wardrobe in there, there would be just over a foot to squeeze past.

What is the best way to get around this, we really don't see the benefit of paying £17 per week just to have a room that we cannot use.

Thanks in advance.

"Bedroom Tax"  is not really a tax it is a reduction in Housing Benefit.  You would be better posting your query on the Benefits and Tax Credits board.
Use this link:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/post/discussion/benefits-tax-credits

not really, I am employed full time but am being told that my rent (council) includes the £17 per week bedroom tax.

whizzywoo

OK I just thought that the Bedroom Tax only applied to people who received help with their rent via Housing Benefit.

Jeremy535897

If you are not receiving housing benefit, then you cannot be suffering the penalty reduction in housing benefit caused by a surplus of rooms. What you would appear to be paying is a rent that takes the existence of the room into account, and is therefore more than the rent you would otherwise have paid. That is not a "bedroom tax", and the only way to avoid it would be to move to a smaller property.

Blemaepico

Jeremy535897 said:

If you are not receiving housing benefit, then you cannot be suffering the penalty reduction in housing benefit caused by a surplus of rooms. What you would appear to be paying is a rent that takes the existence of the room into account, and is therefore more than the rent you would otherwise have paid. That is not a "bedroom tax", and the only way to avoid it would be to move to a smaller property.

Thanks for this, I had a sneaky feeling this was the case because of being unable to find any help online.

I have been told numerous times by the council that rent included the bedroom tax that we had to pay, looks like they don't even give out the right information when questioned about it.

Thanks everyone for your help.