Landlords Struggling To Re-house Tenants Hit By Bedroom Tax

Two third of landlords who took part in a CIH/Circle Housing Group survey said they would be unable to help any more than 20 per cent of their tenants downsize as a result of the under-occupation penalty, commonly known as the bedroom tax.  96 per cent said that despite offering cash incentives and practical help, a lack of available homes remained the biggest barrier for social housing tenants being able to move.  Measures being used include promoting lodging schemes and relaxing their stance on allowing tenants with rent arrears to transfer or mutually exchange.The survey also found that 84 per cent of landlords see the direct payment of housing benefit under universal credit as the biggest threat to their rental income. Download a copy of the report from the CIH website.

Landlord Calls for More Advice on Universal Credit

Every benefit claimant moving on to universal credit should have a guarantee of face-to-face money advice, a housing association has said.  Circle Housing Group makes the call in a report called Has the Penny Dropped?, which reveals large numbers of the association’s tenants are concerned about their finances.  A survey of 1,144 Circle tenants found three in 10 ‘lie awake at night thinking about money issues’, while nearly one in four don’t know how to improve their financial situation.  The research findings show 57 per cent of tenants prefer to use cash, although only 4 per cent do not have a bank account. Only 38 per cent save on a regular or occasional basis while 40 per cent have no home contents insurance.  Download a copy of the report from the Circle website.

88% of Local Authorities Admit That Housing Support Cuts Will ‘Put Vulnerable People at Risk’

Almost 9 out of 10 (88 per cent) local authorities admit that cuts to housing support ‘will put vulnerable people at risk’ and more than 90 per cent say they ‘will create more costs elsewhere in the system’, according to a major new report published. These are the findings of ‘Promoting Independence: the future of housing related support’ - published by the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) and Circle Housing Group. The research, into cuts to Supporting People (SP) budgets, surveyed 139 local authorities in the UK. The report also found that while 93 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Supporting People services have been successful, 44 per cent reported that they were reducing the level of service they could offer in order to make savings. Download a copy of the report from the Circle website.