What do you guys think of this http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/bedroom_tax.aspx ? I moved into my mothers council house last year because she had an heart attack she's 71, I didn't want to leave her alone and she needs care, so I quit my job to do so. I am registered as a tennant but not as a joint tennant as you have to wait a year before doing so. This year I can become a joint tennant so if something happened to my mother I could still live in the house and look after the pets and her belongings she has collected over the years. Now she shouldn't have to pay anything as she isn't of working age, but I don't know if I became a joint tennant that this would change even though I'm her carer. We live in a three bedroom house and two are occupied and the spare is for when my niece and nephew come to stay. If something happened to my mother and I was left with the house I would have to pay for the extra rooms at 14%, which I should have a job and it wouldn't matter, but it's upsetting my mother as she is worried about me and her pets. The problem is in my area and alot in my town there are only a few single bedroom properties most are 2+ so this tax will not help anyone, and I can't see them building enough properties around the country to accommodate this. So they will have to put people into these 2+ bedroom properties without charging them as that is all there is to take, but them that will make this tax mute. Just wanted to see what you guys thought and if it effects you.
Honestly, in general I think the council housing system in this country is just awful. I've never quite understood why a portion of society is entitled to low rent housing subsidised by the state when the majority of people these days are spending a good chunk of their income to scrape by in normal accommodation. As for this, if you're claiming benefits then you're living on someone other people's money. If you're going to do that, I honestly don't think you can expect to have the luxury of having a spare room for guests. I can barely afford my one bed place which I share, I don't see why anyone should be paying for guest rooms for those on benefits. As for this move not helping much due to a lack of single bedroom flats, have you considered a lodger or flatmate? That's what people who're paying 40-60% of their income on rent tend to do. You have options available to you, they're just not very appealing. That said, being on benefits shouldn't be appealing.
I rent (privately) and I have to agree with spec. Just over half my wage goes on rent, the rest going on food and bills. Yes I do claim some benefits, I will admit that. But what we get is barely anything as I "earn too much". If you're living in a council house, you should have one room per person/couple/couple of children and no more. This is only fair given the sheer amount of money the rest of us have to shell out each month.
Council and housing associations don't allow you to sub let or have paying lodgers in fact you cant have anyone stay longer than 3 consecutive nights. As for private all the houses and flats I've had tenants rent from me I have stipulated no lodgers or paying guest in the contract as would most landlords.
There are many problems with council houses. One is that entire houses are assigned, not bedrooms. I would say though that if they are going to assign houses completely, they should maintain the right to let spare bedrooms, since I suppose if one could do it privately you'd end up with people in council properties in London living in one room and making a fortune by letting out the others for £500 a month to lodgers. So get a flatmate. I'm not talking about the ability to sublet necessarily, there's no reason why council flats shouldn't be shared between the needy - there certainly aren't enough of them after all.
What about the people who have lived in their house for 20+ years and could be told pay or move? Which also means leaving behind all your belongings because they will not fit in a flat. Benefits aren't appealing for me, I wish I could work but I gave that up to become a full time carer, I get £70 a week being on benefits and I'm still paying off debts from when I was working last year, so how do I find £14 a week out of that. But that isn't the problem if I stopped being a carer I can easily go back to work. Also what happens if you lose your job and there isn't anything in your area and you have to claim housing benefit does it mean you have to move. To say I have to pay alot why shouldn't you is void here, private accommodation are always more than council and each council charges different per area, I could say if you can't afford move. Benefits are the lowest someone is to live on set by the government, I'm not counting the people who abuse the system, that is why housing benefit is there to help, but when someone has nothing how do you get more money from them. Sorry Teelzebub you beat me to the following. Having a lodger or sub-letter doesn't work as it will be classed as an income so your benefit becomes effected. All this boils down to is the actions of a few are ruining it for the rest.
I'd echo the sentiment of the posts above - if living in subsidised accommodation were made any easier or more appealing things would take a turn for the worse. I earn reasonably well (as does my partner), and we pay the best part of £1000 a month to rent our house because we choose to live in a decent 3 bed in a nice area. But in doing so we sacrifice a large proportion of our spending money - we basically have none after food, fuel, bills and debts are serviced. Yet I see people living in equally large council houses not far away from here paying a quarter as much on rent, freeing up much of their remaining income as disposable. That's not right, but we are very typical of the "squeezed middle". Just far enough up the income ladder not to get a taste of any help, but not far enough up there to be comfortably off. I also pay more in tax each month that the aforementioned family do on their rent, so if you like I am working to give them a cheap home. But I'm not complaining - I'd far rather be an honest pauper than rely on others to pay for me. Looking at the bedroom tax site the OP has linked I suspect I'm not the only one who thinks that it is actually very reasonable. £675 - £725 a year for a spare bedroom is unbelievably cheap.
I need to find me some of that action! My house is £1150 no bills, after bills is about £1500 a month - but that is split 3 ways. Still though, this rent molarky is alot of money. In Leeds I had a brand new 4 bed, that was circa £950 a month all bills included!
Move away from Brighton to the sticks further away form London/the coast and you will suddenly notice rents going down a couple of hundred a month for the same property type.
I acknowledge that you have not exactly chosen an easy path. Looking after an elderly parent is no fun, and you are saving the government a mint in social and health care costs. However you are still getting assistance, and beggars can't be choosers. I think you answered your own question below: Sorry if that sounds unsympathetic, but I emigrated for a job. We all have to make difficult choices and cut our coat according to our cloth.
I have no problems with this tax if I have the money, but if I don't then I have to move all because the government want more money to pay their debt. What happens when the cheap areas become full as more people become unemployed? Would the government have to find ways to fill the empty properties? What would happen to people that let properties to single people on housing benefit but have to move because they can't afford the extra charge? I can see there will be alot of empty properties.
Life is hard sometimes. I genuinely don't see why my tax money should be used to enable you to live in a bigger house than me. Benefits aren't appealing for me, I wish I could work but I gave that up to become a full time carer, I get £70 a week being on benefits and I'm still paying off debts from when I was working last year, so how do I find £14 a week out of that. But that isn't the problem if I stopped being a carer I can easily go back to work.
Good luck with that, As someone that rents to a few people on benefits I can tell you it's like banging your head against a wall with the councils.
WHAT? so you think that private accommodation is more because they pay for council accommodation, what about the people who live in private and claim housing benefit? Also because you live in an area that flats are for £700-800 and others are £250-400 you don't like it, simple move to that area. You forget the wages in your area maybe higher than that area, like the homes are cheaper in Bradford than in London, but London wages are higher than Bradford. I said benefit entitlement not accommodation entitlement. You think everyone that lives in a council accommodation is being paid for by people like you? I've lived in a council accommodation most of my life and I paid my own rent, it's just cheaper. It's not the government giving people less money no money is exchanged hands, it's people who have no money paying for that difference which the government is saving. And if they don't have savings and can't find a job? Because if they are like me private, I will not share accommodation with anyone other than family, I like my privacy too much.
In part, of course it is. I pay tax on my earnings, my landlady pays tax on hers, her earnings being the rent I pay. I've got no issue with that, so long as it's done per person and not by house size. Sorry, I presumably haven't been clear enough. I know people in my area who're paying those sorts of prices for 1 and 2 bed council flats. There is that much of a disparity between council and private lets here. Yes, but since council houses are paid for by the taxpayer, what you appear to want is for the taxpayer to allow you to keep your extra room while providing you with housing benefits. I'm not entirely sure I follow why that should be. If you're in dire straits enough to need the benefit, presumably you'd be willing to accept someone living with you, or moving to smaller accommodation? Why do you think it is cheaper? Good god, there's such an astonishing veil going on among people I speak to about council properties. The reason your accommodation has been cheaper your most of your life is because other people have had money they earnt taken away from them so that houses could be built and then let at below-market values. Yes, you pay rent, but it's massively subsidised by other people. I can't believe there are so many people in this country who so shamelessly just go for council properties because they're cheaper, ignoring the fact that they're living off other people's money. Ok I see, so currently the government pays for a portion or the entirety of your monthly rent, and now they're going to pay less? Firstly, they should have savings, and not having them severely disinclines me toward caring. Secondly, the government should keep people fed and watered until they do find a new job. I've got no problem with people being kept alive on benefits until they get onto their feet again, I just don't think it's reasonable to expect the taxpayer to maintain people's standard of living at whatever they deem it should be. Well, enjoy the streets then. Beggers can't be choosers, and I accept that our state has a duty of care to all of our citizens, but that doesn't extend to accommodating everyone's individual likes and dislikes. If the government or council can provide you with shared accommodation paid for by other people, and you don't want it because you like your privacy, the way I see it that leaves you with two options: Take it, or find yourself a nice alleyway.
Firstly, good for you for making the sacrifice to leave work and look after your mother I'd say that it's not their house. Whether they've lived there 20+ years or not. And so if there's another family who could better use the house (that is, make full use of its occupancy), then it's only fair that said family should move in there. Or alternatively the existing lodgers should pay for the under-occupancy. Whilst it's a tricky situation, I do fully agree with what specofdust says. There's plenty of people scraping by with private renting, perhaps living in a smaller property than they really should be. (It's fairly common to hear about parents with perhaps 2-3 children, whereby all the children share the same bedroom, so you might have 4-5 people in a 2 bedroom house). So I don't then really understand the logic of people lodging in a council house which is too big for their needs. Plus if those people were there for 20+ years, why haven't they 'bought' 'their' house yet? The discount has always been fairly generous, and is set to become even more generous. Or alternatively why didn't they make plans to move out into privately rented accommodation? I know quite a few people whereby benefits and 'their' council house is a way of life, and this attitude baffles me. Granted this isn't the case for you. (But then again, this policy isn't designed to target you - it's designed to target the 'way of life' claimants) That's not really accurate though. For years, there were 100,000s of people on benefits who earned more than millions of low-wage earners*. Even after teh evilz Tories make huge cuts and massive tax rises which will have the effect of taking the public sector back to 2008 levels along with implementing the £26k benefits cap, it'll still be the case that plenty of people on benefits earn more than millions of low-wage earners*. * = in net terms
No, he is saying that private accommodation costs more than council housing because it is subject to market forces, while the latter is subsidised by the council, and hence taxes. And if you expect him to move if he can't afford the rent, why shouldn't you? Yes, because it is subsidised by taxes. Taxes bought the land and building materials; taxes paid for building it, and taxes pay for the upkeep and maintenance. So basically you are moaning because the government does not want to subsidise you as much as they used to, and you would like them to? EDIT: I don't mean to sound harsh, but you're talking to a guy who sofa-surfed his last year through University and emigrated to get a job.
So for example, my next door neighbour in a private house gets paid £100 on housing benefit and I get paid £50 in a council house, that £50 difference pays for my housing benefit? It's ok for you to so called pay for someone in a private but not council. If taxpayers have paid for my house then I have already bought my own, I've been paying taxes for 22 years. I'm not talking about me, I'm defending the people who are even worse of than me, who will have trouble paying this extra 13%+. Where do you get the idea they are massively subsidised by other people, do you think only unemployed people live in council homes, as I said before I have lived in council homes most of my life and worked everyday of them, I didn't buy the homes because I didn't want the hassle of repairs. Too many people go on and on saying that they pay taxes are paying for people like me who are legit benefit claimers, I'm not talking about the fraudsters they all want castrating. For one you don't state where you taxes go, you pay it or goto prison, the government decide on where it goes that includes paying off their debts, two the percentage of your tax is less than 1% which goes to help people on benefit. I don't have any saving and I did, because of personal reasons. The government do, that is what job seekers is you have to be actively looking for work to get job seekers. I will not take it because I would find private or council accommodation as I would be paying full rent. First thanks, true is not their house it's their home. I agree when the house is too big, we're in a three bedroom and their are two of us, some areas there are six bedrooms and only two living there. True that's why I said the actions of a few are ruining it for the rest. We're talking about council and private as if there is a difference, there isn't in this case we're talking about housing benefit, you can claim if your in private or council it was designed to help people who could not afford to pay the full amount of rent.
