Hello, I live in a 3 bedroom house owned by home housing association, my mum sadly passed on the 9th of last month, i was her full time carer and she lived with me in my rented 3 bedroom house. I have heard i will be exempt from the bedroom tax for 12 months because of my mothers death, anyone know more about this? Any advice about this would be great. I am trying to find a smaller house in the area i live and a job doing ceiling fixing/drywall but not having any luck. Is anyone else worried about the bedroom tax?? Or have some advice?? Brian.
I had to sign an agreement when i got my first place 2 weeks ago regarding bedroom tax, however the second bedroom is under the size of which it applies so i'm not worried.
Talk to Citizens' Advice Bureau. They should know. Else there is the Government website. If your mum died of cancer there is also the Macmillan/CAB benefits team which could answer that question for you.
Size is not the qualifier. It is the property discription from the landlord or housing group. If it is decribed as two bedrooms and you are living alone then it applies. Have a look here for the basics of how it works. http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/‘under-occupation’_penalty.aspx As for the passing of a relative whom was being cared for. If you are on housing benefit then you have 52 weeks from the date of passing. If you where on the new universal credit it would be 3 months.
Also be warned if you think this will not affect you because you live in your own property ie:you have a mortgage YOU ARE WRONG IT WILL AFFECT YOU AS COUNCIL TAX WILL GO UP TO PAY FOR ALL THE INVISIBLE 1 BEDROOM HOUSES AND FLATS/MAISONETTES THE GOVERNMENT ARE GOING TO RE-HOUSE FOLKS INTO, THIS IS AN ILLEGAL TAX we need to stop being implemented. Just to let those who don't know there is a right of appeal if you are deemed elligable to pay this tax. The best way to get information is to ask your local CAB and have a word with your local councillor also talk to your landlord if you are having difficulty don't leave it too late. I myself am an active member of NORTH STAFFS AGAINST THE CUTS we are currently campaigning against this draconian tax and other cuts Scameron and his cronies have put into place. MANY FOLKS ARE GOING TO BE MADE HOMELESS BY THIS TAX WE MUST ACT NOW TO STOP IT and im speaking to everyone here in the uk all of us will be affected by it I am getting sick and tired of this I'm alright jack sod you attitude many have that are in their own property and seem to be of the opinion it wont affect them or just don't give a hoot, I say to you all you should give a hoot the fact it affects even just one person means it matters and should be opposed.
I don't want to detract from the purpose of the thread and turn this into a bedroom tax debate, but the question was posed in the OP... If someone can't afford to live somewhere, for any reason, then they should find a property that is appropriate for them. In "normal society" it would be ridiculous for me to sign a tenancy agreement that I couldn't afford to pay including my other expenses. Obviously there are unique, exceptional, and extenuating circumstances; but generally speaking, why should someone who is already being afforded a cut-rate property at the taxpayers behest be viewed or treated any differently?
I was not using this as a soap box as you call it this tax is wrong and should be opposed simple as, My use of caps lock was to make my points stand out
I wouldn't say the tax is wrong, it's the shortage of 1-2 bed property's that's the problem, there needs to be more incentive for developers/councils to build said housing.
So you support folks being made homeless because of it then as many are being as we speak, one gentleman is being charged bedroom tax because he has an extra room he uses for his dialysis machine basically he's being taxed for staying alive this is not a unique case as many more are and will be suffering in this way as a result of this tax enough said me thinks
That should be an extenuating circumstance - if you have a requirement for a second room for medical reasons, then I believe it should be exempt from this tax. Sensory rooms for kids is another example. However, if you have a three bedroom property, paid for by benefits, but it is just you (or a couple) living there, then sorry, you're living beyond your means. I'd love to have a three bedroom'd property right now, but my budget extends to one, so one is what I have. Of course, the big issue is the lack of smaller properties to move in to. In principle the policy is fine, but the delivery is flawed. I also highly doubt somebody is going to be thrown out of their house and not given anywhere to live. Despite the fact that I don't like the current government, I don't think their aim is to increase the numbers of people on the streets.
I don't think Archtronics is saying that. He is saying that the problem is not so much bedroom tax, but the fact that tenants cannot avoid it by moving to a smaller council property because such properties are not currently available. I'm pretty sure that said gentleman will get an exception on medical grounds. Having said that, it should be appreciated just how expensive home dialysis is: £26000,-- a year. His NI contributions are being repaid to him with compound interest.
The point is though, he is living in social housing. If he were in private accommodation he would be free to use whichever room as he pleases. State subsidised accommodation, state rules. When using public roads, you're expected to obey the law. On a track day at silverstone though, do what you like... This is no different. Yes, it's a certain loss of liberty to those that this affects; but really, the occupants in question are in a situation similar to legally but not legitimately over-claiming on other benefits. There's public outcry when Google legally, but not legitimately sidesteps £216M in tax revenue... I assure you the bedroom tax is set to recoup double that figure year on year, how can anybody not facing the additional financial strain be against it?
Unfortunately Nexxo there are no exceptions on medical grounds, I myself have a friend who has multiple disabilities who is being charged bedroom tax there have been no exceptions for her because of the problems she has none of which are minor problems
If they are unable or unwilling to pay the bedroom tax, they can request to be housed elsewhere. Nobody is being made homeless. The grey area, however, is if you request to be re-housed into a smaller property, do you have to pay the bedroom tax during the period it takes for a new house to become available?
I would very much like to see how an extra room can be considered a medical requirement? I can sort of get the point with a sensory room, however there are places you can go that have these. With regards to medical equipment, there is no real requirement for an additional room to house it in surely? If there was then I can see this being abused. If the medical equipment is really that big then surely your condition is serious and would require care in a proper medical facility?
The issue with sensory rooms is one of demand. Yes, there are rooms in hospitals and so forth, but they're used by lots of people, and hence an individual can't go in one daily...or even weekly. As such, having a sensory room at home can help massively. Of course, this is only for a tiny fraction of the populace. For the dialysis example, a machine is about this big: Now, I could probably just about fit one in my flat, but I'd be falling over it all the time, and it probably isn't pleasant to have to look at a reminder of your illness constantly. The NHS wants to push for more community based treatments because it is cheaper than constantly using hospital facilities, and allows patients to take greater ownership of their illness and subsequent treatment. However, there should be a line. Dialysis is a pretty big machine, with the chair to sit in for literally hours a week as well, but somebody shouldn't be able to use a blood pressure monitor as an exemption (for example). The actual list of conditions and treatments that should really have their own separate room isn't actually that massive.
It is a difficult one. I.e. if I default on my finance, no one else will pay it for me. I have sympathy though for benefit claimants as I was on the dole for a period of a year. However I would say that I did feel like the overwhelming majority of co-claimants, may have been taking the piss. Still that is off topic. I hope your are exempt xxxsonic1971 and that CarlT2001's point is also taken into consideration: