Could This Bedroom Tax.

[TWR]

Could this unfair Tax be taken to Strazburg?

[joggerjayne]

So how does it work?

[emmie]

do you mean Strasbourg ?

[Mamyalynne]

http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/%E2%80%98under-occupation%E2%80%99_penalty.aspx

[Mamyalynne]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21541400

[emmie]

and the answer is very unlikely.

[TWR]

I believe for Council tenant's 2 Persons in a 3 Bedroom house, one bedroom unused, you get your benefits reduced. I will get corrected if I'm wrong no doubt.

[Mamyalynne]

Whilst on the face of it, the idea seems reasonable - it could well have a backlash and the HB amounts paid out increase.

http://www.24dash.com/news/housing/2013-02-25-Bedroom-tax-with-cost-taxpayers-more

[emmie]

you are not wrong, however i don't believe this applies to pensioners, but so much of these current changes are going in so fast it's hard to keep up with it all.

[joggerjayne]

Oh, so it affects people on benefit with spare bedrooms?

[Mamyalynne]

Those who are in Social housing and in receipt of Housing Benefit yes.

[emmie]

and i feel there will be lots of people who will be marginalised and moved out of their homes because of the new rules, there might be a backlash, whether it makes a difference one will have to wait and see.

[emmie]

they want you to move out if you have an extra room, or pay more effectively, but they haven't said as yet where you are supposed to go, how you are supposed to make any savings even in a smaller property, or indeed as our local authority is suggesting moving some families out of the borough and capital altogether, they have suggested Birmingham and Leicester, lovely

[joggerjayne]

What if you use your spare bedroom as your office, I wonder?

[Baldric]

If it's social housing JJ are you allowed to work from home?

[emmie]

no that won't do, if you are in social housing or private rented accommodation and get housing benefit and you have, according to the council, government more bedrooms than you need, you will do one of two things, move to somewhere smaller or get less in housing benefit, in effect pay more towards your home. Does that make sense?

[Mamyalynne]

It is hard in instances like this to take human emotions out of the equation but for the purpose of debate we must. No one is saying that a couple should have all rent paid on a 3 bed property when families need them,

But take for an example a young family with 2 small children who were allocated a 3 bed property, baby sleeps in the third bedroom just now - they are deemed to have a spare room, if on the husbands low wage he cannot not afford to cover the shortfall on his rental , they may need to go into private accommodation.

Result - a higher rent meaning higher HB payout.

[emmie]

this is because of the cap paid on housing benefits. And also council tax changes, which will also affect many who currently get rebates.

[hc4361]

It makes perfect sense. The councils desperately need family homes for families in urgent need; it makes sense to encourage a single person or couple to move in to smaller accommodation, especially when the tax payer is paying for it.

After all, many home owners have no choice in downsizing when their circumstances change. Tenants who pay their own rents, too, move if they can't afford the rent on the current homes.

[starone]

It is only social housing formerly known as council houses that is involved. For instance, if you are a single person living in a 3 bedroom house you will either have to pay extra rent or let out the two spare bedrooms to lodgers. It is designed, in my opinion to force out single people living in bigger houses than they really need into single bedroom flats or if there is such a thing available, one bedroom houses. Not very nice if you have lived in that house all your life and brought up a family of children, all of whom have moved out. I suppose there is reason for it if you consider the amount of people now waiting for somewhere a bit decent to live, but there you are - if you live in a tied house you must be prepared to have to leave it at some time, and as long as they provide you with an alternative place to live, there does not seem to be much you can do about it.

[emmie]

if you know it's going to affect you in some way or another, it's hard not to get emotional.