Areas Most Affected By ‘Bedroom Tax’ Are Hardest To Downsize In

Research commissioned by government following housing benefit reforms finds increase in tenants self-selecting to downsize, but the areas hardest hit by reform are those least equipped with appropriate housing stock. Landlord surveys suggest that between policy enactment in April 2013 and autumn last year up to 45,000 had downsized within the social sector – no more than 8% of those affected by the bedroom tax. In much of the UK, particularly areas such as Wales and the North East of England where overcrowding is not a problem, there is a gulf between the size of households and that of available social housing stock: a dearth of much needed one-bed properties and a surplus of three-bed properties, the hardest to let under the bedroom tax.  Read more on the Cambridge University website.