A Kent housing association has used its unique
‘unregistered’ status to secure 788 tenants bedroom tax refunds worth in total
more than £500,000. MHS Homes, which owns 8,500 homes, used a loophole to
persuade Medway Council to reverse the benefit cut imposed on tenants deemed to
have spare rooms. MHS was able to exempt its tenants from the bedroom tax
because although it is a large scale voluntary transfer (LSVT) association, it
is unusual in not being registered as a provider with the HCA. Because of MHS’s
LSVT status, its tenants are also exempt from local housing allowance
restrictions (LHA). It is the only landlord in the country whose tenants are
exempt from both bedroom tax and LHA limits. Read more on Inside Housing.
