Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing – Parliamentary Written Answer

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that social housing tenants liable for the under-occupancy penalty are assisted in downsizing.

Esther McVey: The Government has made it easier for all social tenants to downsize to more suitable accommodation by increasing mobility, through changes to the housing allocation rules in the Localism Act 2011 and the introduction of HomeSwap Direct, the national mutual exchange scheme.

Statutory social housing allocations guidance for local authorities issued in June 2012 advises them of the importance of giving existing social tenants who are under-occupying their accommodation appropriate priority for a transfer. This year the Government has made available £180 million in discretionary housing payment funding, which local authorities can use to help claimants in the process of moving to more suitably sized accommodation. In addition local authorities received a share of £10 million in transitional funding that can be used to support people to move.