Housing Benefit Changes

Hi Nemo

I'm so sorry. Over the coming months, there will be a lot of pensioners like yourself who might desperately need to move house for some reason, but who discover that they can't, due directly or indirectly to the bedroom tax. This could cause a lot of stress and unhappiness.

I have been trying to warn people for months that the Government's sweeping assurances about pensioners being protected are very misleading. Most of my concerns were about mixed-age couples, where only one of a couple is over pension age, but I see now that absolutely any pensioners in social housing could be (or are already being) affected, even if they are exempt from the bedroom tax itself - or "subsidy", for those who prefer this term.

Nemo, I hope that you find a way around this problem. It seems so unfair.

Sorry nemo I misread your post and thought you were saying you had to move because of the extra cost.

I am not wrong, have been in touch with Worthing Homes after being told of the change by my daughter. I checked with my HA last July that I wouldn't be affected after looking at a bungalow that needed extensive work so decided to wait, bad mistake. There isn't many one bed places available. Anybody can check for themselves by going on the website www.homeswappers.co.uk and put in an area with the maximum ratio from a town, min and max bedrooms of 1 and tick all the alternative housing, 36 properties came up around Worthing. The housing site recommended by my HA came up with no matches. Lots of people are affected and probably still looking for an exchange blissfully unaware they are trapped where they are.

Sorry, I misread your post, nemo and agree that not being able to move to a similar sized property even if there's one available, is iniquitous. There will be plenty of protests about the 'bedroom tax' in due course. CAB advisers are completing evidence forms to send to HQ so that when they have gathered evidence it will be presented to the Government. Meanwhile, I suggest that anyone affected should write to their MP putting their case as strongly as possible.

I think nemo is talking about the position should she/he wish to move to another property. It seems that if a pensioner presently occupies a two-bedroomed house or flat they will not have to pay the 'bedroom tax', but if they want to move, they won't be allowedt to occupy another two-bedroomed property without penalty. nemo is just saying there aren't eough one-bedroomed flats etc. to downsize to.

Are you sure of your facts, nemo?

"You won't be affected if you or your partner are no longer of working age. This is the age at which you can get Pension Credit. This will be approximately 61 years and 6 months in April 2013. It doesn't matter whether you actually get Pension Credit, or whether you're still working or not, it's about whether you're counted as being over the working age."
here

I am sure I have heard several times that people already over pesnion age are not affected. Can someone please adivse nemo as I think she has been told wrongly.

nemo3 I could not agree with you more.

What the Government has done is try to fix a problem of reducing benefits but have either not thought it threw and had no regard of how it would actually effect people.

For eg they want people to down size if they have a spare room, Ok so far so good as it is a good thing to try and reduce any bill the country has, however what are the effects of charging 14% if you have a extra BUT then not help you in any way to achieve finding a smaller property to live in, If you are in a two bed and need to downsize to a one, you will find it very hard as one bedrooms are quite scarce.

I think a petition should be put in place to present to Government saying you are creating poverty as no one that is on benefits can afford to pay this extra expense and are living on a tight enough budget as it is.

My Aunt has been effected and I worry for her