Bedroom Tax

[annieigma]

Just looked at the shelter site about bedroom tax, and it said it is only payable if you live in a council/housing association property. So, if my seventy year old relation, who lives on their own and is moving, were to rent a three bedroom property, and claimed housing benefit etc. would He be subject to the the bedroom tax?? ( reason he is looking at the three bedroom property is that it is next door to family).
thank you.

[Peter Pedant]

you can ask the council for an assessment on that property
it has a special name

pre claim assessment of something

[ ys I do think it applies ]

[jackthehat]

Is he considering moving into a Local Authority/Housing Association property?

[Buenchico]

You appear to have answered your own question! If it's a private rental (rather than one from a local authority or housing association) then the so-called bedroom tax is irrelevant.

Equally, the actual rent paid is irrelevant. The Local Housing Allowance he would be eligible for would simply be based upon the rate for a ONE bedroom property, irrespective of the actual number of bedrooms in the house which he was renting. You can find out how much Housing Benefit (LHA) he'd receive (subject the the usual eligibility criteria) here:
https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx
Any excess he'd then have to fund himself.

[Gromit]

It is unlikely that he would get the property even if it were available. They prioritise families into 3 bedroom properties. If he is in a council property, he will only be offered a single bedroom property near to his family. If he is in private housing, he is unlikely to be offered any council property.

[Islay]

I didn't think that the reduction of housing benefit (there is no such thing as the bedroom tax) affected pensioners.

[Buenchico]

We seem to be reading the question differently. My interpretation of the question is that the 3-bedroom property is NOT owned by a local authority or housing association, whereas others are reading it differently.

Perhaps some clarification might help?

[annieigma]

He is in private property, and the other house He is asking about is also privately owned.
As he has a private pension ( not much, about £400 a month ) he gets council tax rebate or something like that of £80 per month, and thats it, he has to pay the rent himself, £525 a month, so doesn't leave a lot to play with.

[Peter Pedant]

apply for a pretenancy determination

[Gromit]

If he has less than £16,000 savings, he can apply for housing benefit iif he has a private landlord.

// Rent
For tenants of a private landlord (a private company or a private individual) the law may require us to restrict the rent you are being charged to a lower figure.
If you rent from a private landlord you can find out in advance what rental level will be used in your Housing Benefit calculation.
From 1st January 2012 your rent may be restricted to a shared accommodation rate if you are under 35 and rent from a private landlord that is not a Registered Housing Association. This can apply even where you have sole access to all the rooms and facilities of the home you occupy.
Means Test
We will also consider your financial circumstances and the size of your family unit to see if you can afford to pay some of your charges yourself
If you receive a passported benefit, namely Income Support, Income Based Job Seeker’s Allowance, Guaranteed Pension Credit or Employment Support Allowance (Income Related) there will be no means test.
If you do not receive a passported income we will compare your Personal Allowance (the amount set by government that you need to live on each week based on your family circumstances) with your Eligible Income. If your Eligible Income is higher than your Personal Allowance we will reduce your Housing Benefit award accordingly.
You cannot qualify for an award of Housing Benefit if you possess capital in excess of £16,000, unless you are in receipt of Guaranteed Pension Credit //

[EDDIE51]

Pensioners are exempt from the 'Bedroom tax' at least in social housing.
Housing benefit for private tenants is determined by the LHA ( local housing allowance) and paid by the local council but you only get the LHA for a property of the approved size for your situation. So a single person in a 3 bedroom property will get the LHA for a 1 bedroom property as his housing benefit, this will probably be a lot less than the actual rent for 3 bedrooms.

[Scarlett]

That's true- bedroom tax is only for council properties. They want to allocate suitable sized properties for different families/single people as the council places are in such high demand. If your relation wishes to rent a castle, he can, but he would have to pay for it himself; housing benefit will only cover a set amount: http://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/Local-Housing-Allowance-Rates He will get the 1-bedroom allowance regardless of how big his house is. That is, if he is eligible for housing benefit- I'm not sure what the rules are beyond 65?

[annieigma]

thanks for all the info, have looked at it all and tried to work out best procedure. now, what about if he moves into a council rented property that His granddaughter rents? she has three bedrooms, and is paying bedroom tax on one.she is on benefits as she is at full tine college taking exams to be a nurse.
if he moved in with her, would it affect her benefits? He has tried looking this up on google, but it is very difficult to come to a conclusion. thank you all for your time.,

[fiction-factory]

i always thought bedroom tax (spare room subsidy) didn't apply to pensioners anyway

[EDDIE51]

The rules for pensioners social housing are going to be the same as private housing from 2018 see my question for details
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Business-and-Finance/Question1516033.html
Social housing for pensioners will also only be paid at LHA rates, some will be over £1700 a year worse off!

[granny grump]

Will the spare room subsidy apply to all pensioners in council housing even if the have lived there for 30 years?

[EDDIE51]

In the beginning it is only for tenancies started or renewed from April 2016.
But it will be extended later to include all social housing tenancies.