Real Cost Of the Bedroom Tax

Social landlord Riverside is continuing to pressure MPs to give up the bedroom tax and cites new research by the Housing Futures Network (HNF), a collection of leading housing groups, to support its case. The research, carried out for Riverside in Wirral’s Tranmere and Rock Ferry neighbourhood, found that one in four tenants would be affected by housing benefit cuts, if they are of working age and deemed to be under occupying their home by just one bedroom. This is in accordance with very strict criteria to be introduced by the Department of Work and Pensions. The cuts would not only affect tenants, but could have an impact on the local economy, which stands to lose £65,000 per annum just from Riverside tenants. For all social housing tenants affected in the area, the annual local economic impact could be as much as £400,000 per year. Read more on the Riverside website.

Under-Occupancy Benefit Cuts to Hit Vulnerable Hardest

New research launched by the Housing Futures Network - comprising Affinity Sutton, Gentoo, Places for People and Riverside - has revealed the impact housing benefit changes would have on social housing tenants underoccupying their homes. The network interviewed 452 working-age households in receipt of benefit and living in social housing, which face cuts to their benefit payments from 2013 under Government proposals. In total 670,000 households could be impacted by the cut. The results from the survey showed:
*71% of the tenants surveyed stand to lose up to £15 per week, or up to 10% of their household income and nearly a third (29%) would lose more than £15 a week.
*Whilst a quarter of underoccupiers would try to downsize to a smaller property to escape the benefit cut, the majority do not believe this is an option for them. Over a third (35%) believed they would be likely to end up in rent arrears as a result of the cut.
*43% of underoccupiers are already struggling financially and 83% would find it difficult to find the extra money to pay their rent if their housing benefit were cut.
Download a copy of the report from the Affinity Sutton website.