Bedroom Tax

[JDC]

Hi, I’ve heard that I will be affected by the Bedroom tax which is coming in April because I have two bedrooms, one of which is a box room you can't swing a cat in.

 

Now I believe the over 60s wont be affected by this even if they live in a 3/4 bedroom house so I was wondering if there are any circumstance where I could be exempt.

 

I've lived in my current flat since 2003 and got to know a few people, moving would leave me isolated too

Edited January 26, 2013 by JDC

[matzoball]

You will need to contact your local council, as there are cases of some funding being put aside for certain instances. I take it you are on benefits? As you only need to pay bedroom tax if you are in reciept of them.

 

It can also depend on how disabled you are, whether you need that room for a carer to stay over, or medical equipment.

 

Best thing to do is contact your local housing authority who should be able to help. Also contact your local citizens advice bureau.

[JDC]

Housing has been next to useless so far and CAB haven't got back to me yet.

 

By the way its not just people on benefits affected, working families who get housing benefit are affected too

Edited January 26, 2013 by JDC

[smileyK]

A school friend has moaned about same subject topic on facebook and is not at all pleased or happy think she'll be going down local council monday morning

[Special_talent123]

Council will only allow one person a one bedroom flat/studio housing benefit won't cover the other rooms if there only one person living in 2 bedroom flat

[justine1]

This is very worrying and stressful. There are seven of us living in a two bed house,I have been on the register for just over three years for a larger house and finally have been offered a new four bed home. At the time of the offer(three months ago) I was on housing benefit they were quick to inform me that actually as of April I am only entitled to a three bed...apparently: 1 room for me,my partner and my daughter as she is under 5

1 room for my eldest and one of my sons with ASD

1 room for my youngest and other son with ASD

and that if I wanted the extra room I would have to pay 25% of the rent,despite the fact I applied for four beds due to medical grounds...apparently this will be scraped(?)

 

Luckily I am back on my course and working part time so I can pay rent(though we struggle financially.) However even with a four bed I will still have three boys in one room in 5 years time because my youngest son will be 10 when my daughter is 5 and therefore opposite sex cannot share. The regualtions and laws never quite match up!

 

The other issue is my partner has two kids that will come over occassionally,luckily this will be when my boys' go to their dad for weekend as again this is not taken into consideration. I feel for those non-resident parents that will be forced to either downsize; this making things cramped or pay extra; making things difficult financially. Also those who need live-in carers.

[Sa Skimrande]

The Spare Bedroom Tax- A mess of contradiction and impossibility

 

 

Fight for what you believe in !

[Sa Skimrande]

Council will only allow one person a one bedroom flat/studio housing benefit won't cover the other rooms if there only one person living in 2 bedroom flat

 

The council are not even paying my full rent because in their opinion my landlord is charging too much for the property, and so as a result I have to find £130 out of ESA per month and minimum DLA and people wonder why I engage in alternate day fasting, I have to there is no option. But my place is one of the best of these studio flats and everyone else in the studio flats all have mental health issues and are similarly out of work but the council has not deemed their flats too expensive as they have not sent their rent officer to investigate their places, only mine and so everyone else receives full housing benefit and my rent is the cheapest of all of the flats.

 

I am actually wondering if I can present a case for discrimination, because starved of funding how the hell can anyone make them self better to actually go and find work, as because of my situation I experience regular fainting especially when I am under high stress.

[Special_talent123]

 

 

The council are not even paying my full rent because in their opinion my landlord is charging too much for the property, and so as a result I have to find £130 out of ESA per month and minimum DLA and people wonder why I engage in alternate day fasting, I have to there is no option. But my place is one of the best of these studio flats and everyone else in the studio flats all have mental health issues and are similarly out of work but the council has not deemed their flats too expensive as they have not sent their rent officer to investigate their places, only mine and so everyone else receives full housing benefit and my rent is the cheapest of all of the flats.

 

I am actually wondering if I can present a case for discrimination, because starved of funding how the hell can anyone make them self better to actually go and find work, as because of my situation I experience regular fainting especially when I am under high stress.

 

I remember they give u a limit on how much housing benefit pays towards rent and so therefore have to find a house around that price or below hence why I am looking for cheaper accommodation .

[Sa Skimrande]

I remember they give u a limit on how much housing benefit pays towards rent and so therefore have to find a house around that price or below hence why I am looking for cheaper accommodation .

 

My place the maximum is £450 a month, which just happens to be the rent set for all the other studio flats but they don't give me that as I said I have to find £130 towards that and there is nothing cheaper than what I have around here or else I would be in it and when I moved in here seven years ago it was the cheapest I could find beyond renting a room in a house.

[Canopus]

This bedroom tax is a pathetic and ill thought out piece of legislation. I can see where the government is coming from in London and some parts of the south that have housing shortages but it will hit the hardest in the north where under occupancy is higher because of a shortage of one bedroom properties. It also won't achieve anything because there is actually a surplus of housing in some towns.

 

The public needs to make a stand against this.

[Sa Skimrande]

This bedroom tax is a pathetic and ill thought out piece of legislation. I can see where the government is coming from in London and some parts of the south that have housing shortages but it will hit the hardest in the north where under occupancy is higher because of a shortage of one bedroom properties. It also won't achieve anything because there is actually a surplus of housing in some towns.

 

The public needs to make a stand against this.

 

They are, and I am one of them although it does not directly affect me and how I am doing this is by circulating such information on the web so people can become educated as I do believe education is the key to a lot of our ills. Yes I am engaged in the fight against such evils as this, but I fight via the keyboard as I lack the skills in real life and so believe the solution is people just saying no, not violent action as that I believe is what authority actually wants other than our silent submission to their designs.