Bedroom Tax - Is This Fair ?????

[Gizmonster]

I'm not on about the bedroom tax per se, I'm on about a part of it that I've only just found out about:

"The changes will only affect council tenants and housing association tenants. If you rent a property from a private landlord you will not be affected."

So, imagine the following scenario:
2 identical families, both claiming housing benefits, living in identical houses, in exactly the same financial situation ..... the only difference between the 2 families is that one of the families rents from a private landlord; whilst the other rents from the council (or a housing association).

What gives ?? Both families are claiming HB from the government, why will one family be penalised and not the other. I can't get my head round this ....... anyone have any ideas ...... am I missing something ????

[EDDIE51]

sherrardk . You are behind the times , social housing IS now reviewed after a set time ,15 years I think, life time tenancies exist only for those already in social housing, all new tenancies are for set time only. So familys getting a 3 or 4 bed house now will HAVE to downsize once the kids have left home, they will not have the option of keeping the large house by paying the 'bedroom tax'

[sherrardk]

Ok, didn't know that. Sounds fair to me (although I do acknowledge that it is sad that people will have to leave 'their' family home, although a lot of older people downsize).

[SimonZero]

Tenants in private rented accommodation already are subjected to the "bedroom Tax" and have been for a number of years. If you lose your job and you & your partner have a 2 bedroom house the amount of housing benefit you receive will only amount to that council's rate of a 1 bedroom flat/house (not many 1 bedroom houses but you know what I mean) I for example was made redundant and was out of work for about 2 months. I applied for Housing Benefit and received £400 pm, which was that councils rate for a 1 bedroom place because they said we did not need a 2 bedroom place. My rent at the time was £575 so we had a shortfall of £175 to make up. (If we were entitled to have HB for a 2 bedroom place i.e if we had a child we would have received £499 pm)

Obviously if you lose your job you don't immediately think, well I must move into a 1 bedroom place, you hope you will get back into employment but a shortfall of £175 is quite a lot & luckily I had some savings but not all people do.