General Chat

What is your view on this subject ?

This will come into affect on the !st of April this year and I for one think it is another way to Tax the poor.
I believe it will cause more homeless people and more suicides.

I have many views.

Are there enough 1 bedroom flats/ houses?

So, if you didn't believe in buying/couldn't afford to buy your council house, and reach retirement age (with no private pension) or become ill, is it okay to rip you away from the neighbours you have known for perhaps 30 years and plonk you somewhere new, just when you need the security?

Why, when a 1 or 2 bedroom place is only £3 or £5 cheaper a week, are you charged £14 a bedroom?

Are the not so well off, not allowed to regard the place they live as a home?

How much is the Queen charged for all the extra bedrooms in Buckingham Palace? This is, to all intents & purposes, a council house. We, the public pay for it, the same goes for numbers 10 & 11 Downing Street.

Not only do the prime minister & chancellor get a council house rent free (one must therefore presume they're on housing benefit of some sort), they are allowed to own other properties.

Do people who own their own properties, but are in receipt of housing benefit have to move? No.

Total, callous, unfeeling, divisive hypocrasy.

I'd also like to point out that they haven't taken into account the square footage of houses.
I lived in a 2 bedroomed house that was twice the size of the house I live in now. It had a 'proper' bathroom, a seperate dining room, and two really good sized bedrooms. One bedroom was huge, it, and the living room were the full length and half the width of the house.
I wanted to move away from the area and my current house has 3 bedrooms - but they are small. I have no dining room, and the bathroom is downstairs - taking up a third of the original kitchen.

A 2 bedroom house, same style as mine, has the very small bedroom (9ft x 6ft) turned into a bathroom, and the kitchen is (obviously) bigger as it hasn't been 'eaten up' by the bathroom.

I believe also that if you are single in a 2 bedroom property with 2 living rooms then the 2nd living room will be classed as a 3rd bedroom :-( so you would then have to pay 25% of your rent.

Do they have to have beds in them?

Many people use rooms as studies, sewing rooms etc

I know that's splitting hairs, but...........!!

No they just need to be an extra room, if you are single they say all you need is 1 living room, 1 bedroom, a kitchen and a bathroom with toilet anything else is considered a possible bedroom, but if you are disabled this does not apply as you may need an extra room for carer to sleepover in.

It does seem very unfair on the face of it. But is it fair that a family of four have to live in a one-bedroomed flat?

Long term the solution is more social housing but in the short term?

Does anyone have an alternative solution?

its been brought in to stop single people taking up housing needed for families
but they havent thought it through
as there isnt enough single bedroom house or flats to accomadate all the single people
who live in bigger houses than they need :-(
but then again why should social housing pay for people to live in houses ect to big for their needs

lucky for us it doesnt affect home owners :-D :-D

April 1st?

And elderly people with families who live away will see less of them as there will be nowhere for visitors to sleep.

Maggie, I have a feeling that people in their own properties on benefits will eventually be affected.

what about the people in london who live in masive houses and flats
who live on benifits
and we are all contributing to their massive rents with our taxs

now thats where the money should be clawed back from

People living in their own properties and on benefits are already affected. The number of spare bedrooms is taken into account when calculating, for example, the proportion of mortgage interest that will be paid ( for two years only now) where the person is claiming because of unemployment.

If I win the lottery that is one thing I would like to do, build accommodation at a reasonable rent for single people, especially for those who had lost their home through no fault of their own, those coming out of the armed forces etc. :-D

The thing is that probably there are older people who would like to downsize but they don't want to go into a smaller house, they want accommodation without stairs. Pity they were not more forward looking years ago, some area have lovely little bungalows for over 50s but not enough. Maybe something like prefabs but made out of different material would have been a good idea.

The Government talk about going forward. That’s a laugh. The ill, sick & disabled could end up homeless with ATOS stopping any money they get. People with one or more spare rooms could end up homeless due to extra tax. It may end up like in the 1700's & 1800's with 2 or 3 families in one house but then they may tax you for sharing & renting. If that’s the way forward they can stick it.

I think this is similar to what happened after the Russian Revolution,State control over everything and multi family occupation of all houses (Except for the Elite) It stinks and should never be allowed to happen.**M**.

I was made homeless by the army in June 2011 and was offered a 2 bed bungalow..After being here for 18mths I am told that I have to pay bedroom tax...What im wondering is why did the council let me bid on a 2 bed property?? They must have known it was in the pipeline..I also have to pay 25% of my council tax bill also in April, that works out at about £85 a month...Im disabled and am unable to work and they have just cut my benefits so I don't know where they think I am going to get the extra money...The DWP tell me to move to a smaller place!! I would like to know how when the housing association have over 2000 people that need smaller places and they have none avaliable, especially places for disabled people!!!!
Why should I move anyway, are they going to cough up for new carpets, curtains, blinds etc, not on your nellie...I am settled here and have good neighbours that look out for me...I know of 5 people in my road that have 2 and 3 bedroomed properties and live there by themselves..They are council properties....

Jules x

Apparently it will only apply to those of working age (deemed to be 16-65).

"Tenants who are of working age and claiming housing benefit to help pay rent, but have what the Government deems to be a ‘spare’ bedroom will be affected from April 2013. The following people need their own bedroom:

a couple
a single person over the age of 16
siblings of different genders over the age of 10, but siblings of the same gender are expected to share."

http://www.facebook.com/groups/antibedroomtax/

Anyone that uses Facebook and is against the bedroom tax might like to join this group .
Maybe if enough people stand up and get their voices heard then the Govenment might do a U turn ?

Jules I so agree with what you say :-)

I have lived in my flat for over 10yrs, my 27yr old son only left in June last yr, so until then I needed 2 bedrooms, I have only just for the first time in 10yrs been able to decorate my living room and have my first fitted carpet put down, why should I move especially as my housing do not have any 1 bedroom flats were I live and I grew up as a child in this area.
I do understand the need for social housing for larger familys and if I was in a house with 3 bedrooms then I would be happy to down size to a flat as long as it wasn't high rise and in a bad area. At the end of the day most of the tennants in my flats are couple's without children. Another point is if I was to rent privately a 1 bedroom flat it would probably cost about £20/30 more a week and they would pay the full amount so were is the sense in that.

Amanda I have joined, lets hope something can be done :-)