Appeal Won over bedroom tax. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-appeal-disabled-woman-2334611

Not sure if this right place but here goes, while I was on benefit I was paying bedroom tax even thought we both have to have our own bedrooms but what I would like to know and I have tried to find out is now I have finally got a job do I still have to pay this, I am now paying full rent,

From this link from The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/un-investigator-raquel-rolnik-calls-for-governments-bedroom-tax-to-be-axed-8807678.html A United Nations special investigator called yesterday for the new 'bedroom tax' to be abolished, after hearing it was pushing some of the most vulnerable people in Britain to the point of despair and even suicide. Raquel Rolnik, the UN special rapporteur on housing and a former urban planning minister in Brazil, visited council estates, food banks and homelessness crisis centres in various parts of the UK including London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast. She said she was “very shocked” at the effect of the spare room subsidy, or bedroom tax as opponents have described it. Under the Government's welfare reform, social tenants deemed to have more bedrooms than they need have had their housing benefit reduced since April. Ministers suggest it will save around £500 million annually as part of the deficit-reduction strategy. Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights includes housing as part of the “right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family”. In an interview with The Guardian, Rolnik said “the most vulnerable, the most fragile, the people who are on the fringes of coping with everyday life” were being hit hard by the policy. “My immediate recommendation is that the bedroom tax is abolished,” she said. More on the link.

Taken from this link from Scottish Express: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/428437/Brothers-win-blows-a-hole-in-bedroom-tax-benefit-cuts In a ruling that could open the floodgates for thousands to challenge the under-occupancy legislation, a tribunal found that David Nelson’s spare room was too small to be a bedroom. And his brother Ian successfully argued that his “spare” room should be turned into a wet room because he struggles to get in and out of the bath. Around 660,000 social housing tenants across the country have seen their housing benefit reduced by an average of £14 per week because they have an unused bedroom. The disabled, foster carers and those with children in the armed forces are exempt from the rules. David, 57, from Glenrothes, Fife, argued that his spare room was too small to be taxed. He said that at just 50 square feet, the room could not be classed as a bedroom but is a box room. Ian, who only has one leg, successfully argued that his “spare” room should be turned into a wet room because he struggles to get into a bath. At an independent tribunal held in Kirkcaldy, Simon Collins QC ruled that neither brother should have their housing benefits cut as their rooms should be exempt. Mr Collins, a first tier tribunal judge, ruled that a room under 50 square feet is not a bedroom and a room measuring between 50 and 70 square feet is only suitable for children under 10. The ruling is expected to spark a deluge of appeals from the 75,000 people in Scotland said to be affected by the benefits cut.

Hi, Sorry if this has already been posted on this site but I have just read a shocking story that was published yesturday in a newspaper. To read more here is the link: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/tenant-slits-wrist-housing-office-2237582 This is so shocking and to be honest, would anyone pay rent in that flat with the state of he's walls.

I just wanted to start a thread to get everyone views, the bedroom tax has everyone talking and many have different views on it, Please have your view, we are all entitled to our own opinion, please keep the thread sensible. Ok my personal view is the bedroom tax is in principle a good idea, for those who want/choose to stay in larger LA housing than is required, of course its not working like that, people cant downsize as there are no properties, it is hitting the vulnerable and this is just wrong. My other problem is the bedroom tax does not apply to persons of a pensionable age or anyone claiming any sort of disability, again each case may be individual but arnt most of the larger HA properties filled by elders in there 60's 70's 80's ect.... who refuse to move, yet they are exempt from this tax

Hi All If this is the wrong place then sorry but l cant find the housing forum. I am being charged bedroom tax and my Sons 10th birthday is part way threw a week. The council are aware of this but they are unable to provide me with a straight answer and the head of department the workers beneath her and my housing estate manager have not agreed on the solution. As l said my sons birthday is part way threw a week, next week to be exact his birthday is saturday. Now l am fully aware that as he is 10 he cant then share with his sister and l legally cant be charged for the bedroom tax. I have contacted the council asking for a rent amount up to his birthday. At first they were confussed and did not understand my request despite several attempts of explaining my request. The workers beneath the manager have said they cant provide me with a part way threw the week amount and as its only a couple of pounds then its not a lot of money so l need to pay it. She was told very nicely by me that the couple of pound covers a lot for me and she might be able to afford it but l cant. They have acknowledged l cant be charged the bedroom tax from my sons 10th birthday. They have also told me l would not be entitled to a refund of that amount of bedroom tax as the change does not take effect for over a week after his birthday as the rent is paid in arrers, so the change takes effect on the 12th. My housing estate manager and department head agree l cant be charged from saturday but they have both said l need to pay a reduced amount but what they dont no as there is no published guidance on this. They have advised me not to pay the full amount. Anyone know where l stand legally and how much l can pay

A United Nations inspector has arrived in the UK to investigate whether David Cameron’s Coalition government has reneged on international agreements giving everybody the right to adequate housing and shelter. Special rapporteur Raquel Rolnik has been asked to assess whether bedroom tax-related eviction threats that are driving tenants to suicide mean the UK is refusing that right to its citizens. About time. Story http://mikesivier.wordpress.com/2013/08/28/an-inspector-calls-can-you-help-her-assess-the-damage-caused-by-the-bedroom-tax/

This is to do with the Bedroom Tax but more importantly the Discretionary Housing Payment allocation to councils. From The Evening Times this is the link: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/city-demands-answers-over-bedroom-tax-cash-134331n.21946342 Where the article mentions COSLA they are the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and their link is: http://www.cosla.gov.uk/ if you want more information on them.

I have an 85 year old sister-in-law who has recently moved into a 2 bedroomed flat and she now finds that she has to pay the bedroom tax, is this correct, I thought that persons of pensionable age were exempt this tax.

Hi I've decided to try and claim the PPI attached to an old Sharps Bedroom Loan. I took out the Loan at the end of 1999 and paid it off using another loan in 2003. I have no paperwork but am sure that it contained front loaded PPI. All paperwork for the loan was done in my home by the Sharps Bedroom Sales man. It was for about 10,000 and was over 10 years. I have all my old bank statements showing the DD leaving my account each month, stating the account number and First National Bank. I've tried to establish who is now dealing with these old loans and thought it was G E Money Home lending in Watford but they have written back saying they do not recognise the Account number. Any suggestions anyone. Many thanks

As far as I am aware, the dreaded bedroom tax covers council houses only.Or does it also cover housing association properties too?. The reason I ask is because my youngest brother has been struck down with Motor neurone Disease.He lives in Blackpool but is coming back to Devon to live at my mums flat until he gets a place for himself ,adapted to his needs.According to the housing association,my mum cannot have him living there because of the council tax, and in any case, he has to be at least 55.Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated.... I will be looking ibnto the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the Equalities Act 2010 over the next few days to see if there is anything there i can glean from them....... Incidentally, the housing association said that my brother can stay at my mums for 4 weeks.Now they didn't say that was 4 weeks in any year, so I am looking at a possible loophole.He stays at my mums for 4 weeks then my sister for 4 weeks and so on. My brother is having a wheelchair delivered today(mon 12th) courtesy of social services.when he moves back to Devon, the family are donating money to buy him a disability scooter. He is in constant need of care around the clock which is why our mum wants to have him live with her until the local council get him an adapted place.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2379984/Bedroom-tax-Man-slits-throat-benefits-advice-office-protest.html http://welfarenewsservice.com/bedroom-tax-man-cuts-his-own-throat-in-benefits-office/#.UfMBxKy7fa4 the government will more than likely brush this under the carpet too

hi everyone i went to a local meeting and advice centre yesterday where they hold advice on the new changes that come into effect from April 2013 with regards to the new bedroom tax. my sister gets income based ESA support group and she also gets high rate care DLA. when i discussed this with one of the representatives from housing benefit she advised me that if your in the support group and get the severe disability premium then you will not be effected by the bedroom tax. has anyone else heard that this would be the case the reason i ask is when i called up HB they said this was not the case. i have written to them today to get clarification on this but just wondered if anyone else has heard this might be the case? thanks

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has any advice regarding the changes to housing benefit regarding sparerooms in April. I live with my husband in what would be a 2 bedroomed house except for the fact that he is disabled so the second bedroom has a lift that goes into it (a full wheelchair through the ceiling/floor lift). There is no extra room in this room definitley not enough for any bed. I wrote back to my council when they said that they would be cutting my housing benefit by just under £20 a week explaining that this is not a spare bedroom. They wrote back with a standard letter, the same as the one I received originally. I wrote back again and got the same letter for a third time. I cant afford to pay nearly £80 a month extra and will be homeless if I cant sort this out. Does anyone have any advice at all, im desperate? Thanks for reading.

CONSUMER ACTION GROUP - BEDROOM TAX CAMPAIGN The Welfare reform Act is due to come into force in April 2013 which includes the Housing Benefit reforms (commonly known as the ‘BedroomTax’) that will have a dramatic impact on numerous citizens throughout the UK. The Government claims pensioners will not be affected are misleading. From October 2013 if a pensioner’s spouse is not of pensionable age, they will be required to claim the new Universal Credit and be subject to this loss of benefit as well as their pensions. It has been designed to reduce the Housing Benefit expenditure, promote increased mobility and improve work incentives but the under occupation deductions or the‘bedroom tax’ as this change has been dubbed will affect around 660,000 households throughout the UK who will be under-occupying social rented housing based on Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) definitions. Those affected tenants could lose up to £20 a week from their Housing Benefit: 14% of the full HB-eligible rent for one bedroom ‘too many’, and 25% for two or more bedrooms. Who is going to be affected? Any claimant who is deemed to have one spare bedroom or more will be affected. This includes: Ø Children under 16 of same gender expected to share. Ø Children under 10 expected to share regardless of gender. Ø Disabled tenant or partner who needs non-resident overnight carer will be allowed an extra bedroom. Ø A quarter of the people affected are Single Parents. Ø Separated parents who share the care of their children and who may have been allocated an extra bedroom to reflect this. Benefit rules mean that there must be a designated‘ main carer’ for children (who receives the extra benefit). Ø Parents whose children visit but are not part of the household. Ø Those on a Low Income/Unemployed/Vulnerable will be affected. Ø Couples who use their ‘spare’ bedroom when recovering from an illness or operation. Ø Disabled people including people living in adapted or specially designed properties. Ø Disabled people who require a spare room for medical equipment, rehabilitation equipment, need for an overnight carer occasionally will be affected. Ø Anyone that was moved to their present property under Medical Advisement and/or requested by a Medical Professional will be affected. Does the Governments Regulations define a bedroom? NO The Government’s view is that it is for landlords to specify the size of the property and that this will match what is on any Tenancy Agreement and reflect the level of Rent Charged. The bedroom tax will not take account of whether a room is a single or a double bedroom. A room either is a bedroom or is not a bedroom. What else need to be taken into consideration? Ø The Government introduced the ‘Right to Buy’ some years ago in Social Housing but didn’t put in place the required investment into replacing that social housing, now there is a shortage of Social Housing. Ø Lack of available social housing properties for those affected to move too. Ø Social Housing rents are rising more due to the change from Retail Price Index (RPI) to Consumer PriceIndex (CPI). Ø More people losing their jobs and now they will be in fear of losing their home. Ø Cost of living constantly rising. How can we Fight the Bedroom Tax Set up a local campaign group in your area. Ø To meet to discuss the Government’s Bedroom Tax with your family, friends and neighbours remember you don’t need many people to organise a first local campaign meeting. You can even get a few people together in your own front room or find out if there are free meeting spaces in a local community centre or library. Lobby your Local Councillor and MPs Ø Write to them with your reasons why you are against this bedroom tax and asking how the Government and Local Authorities have carried out their Public Sector Equality Duties. OR Ø Visit your Local Councillor or MP at their local Surgery held in your area. AWAITING SAMPLE LETTERS Lobby your Local Council Housing Association / Housing Association. Ø To ask that they consider reclassify those properties affected. AWAITING SAMPLE LETTERS What do I do when I receive a ‘Decision Notice’ of the Bedroom Tax reduction on my Housing Benefit? When you receive the Housing Benefit Decision Notice the paperwork should contain that Local Councils Appeal process so always Appeal the Decision following the Councils procedure.

Hi all... If there is no legal definition of what a bedroom is, and it is down to the housing benefit officer to decide if a room is a bedroom (not the landlord/housing association), Then how can he/she make a legal decision on if your room is a bedroom or not ? If he/she says it is a bedroom, then i say it is not. I can't legally prove my case, but neither can they. If i say it isn't a bedroom as there is no legal definition, and use this as a ground for an appeal, then surely the onus is on the housing benefit officer to legally prove me wrong. Without a legal definition there isn't any way to argue against my assessement that it isn't a bedroom. Case thrown out for lack of legal definition, therefore lack of evidence. Thoughts anyone ?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-victim-commits-suicide-1883600 A very sad story indeed. Who wants to bet cameron will blame the woman instead of the tax itself.

Hello all, I was wondering if anyone knew the answer to this, as my mother text me about it this morning and I have been looking around the web for answers but have found none. Apparently a 'bedroom' must be at least 7ft by 11ft to be legally classed as a bedroom. My neighbour is quite panicked about this bedroom tax thing. She became out of work halfway through last year and has been on benefits since. She gets full housing benefit so this 'tax' will affect her. She has had a letter from the council telling her she will have to pay ~£10 extra per week from april as she lives in a 3 bedroomed house and there is only her and her son after her daughter moved out a couple of years back. Now..all the houses in our street are the same, while we have 2 decent sized rooms, the third room can barely even fit a bed in. It definitely is not anywhere near 7ft by 11ft. However the council classes the homes as 3 bedroomed. My question is, would it be worth advising her to seek legal help on this? As legally the box room apparently isnt a bedroom, even though the council says it is. Or will this bedroom tax go on what the council class the houses as, rather than the legal definition of a bedroom? The more I read about this bedroom tax, the more I think its ridiculously unfair and is actually designed to save money, rather than to 'free up social housing'. So many people ropund here have been wanting to downsize for ages, before this tax wasd even thought of. Yet there arent smaller properties to move to unless you want to go private, which is very costly.

Mike Dailly of the Govan Law Centre has written a guide on how to challenge a decision which can be downloaded from here: http://www.govanhilllc.com/brtax/ Although written with a Scottish audience in mind, all of the arguments apply equally in England, Wales and NI.

Housing benefit judicial review to go ahead A judicial review into the consequences of the cut in housing benefit is set to go ahead after the government lost an attempt to have the action thrown out. Lawyers representing disabled adults and vulnerable children argue that the change will disproportionately disadvantage them. The cut, dubbed a "bedroom tax" by its critics and a "spare room subsidy" by its supporters, is due to be introduced on Monday. The case will be heard in May. From 1 April, changes to housing benefit affecting working-age social housing tenants deemed to have spare bedrooms will mean a 14% cut for those with one extra room and of 25% for those with two or more. It is thought it will affect 660,000 households in Britain, who will lose an average of £14 per week. The government says it wants to bring social housing tenants in line with its provision in the private sector, where size criteria already apply. Intended to reduce a £21bn annual housing benefit bill, the measure is also aimed at encouraging greater mobility in the social rented sector, it adds. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-21961777

It's just a ploy to get millions of people to pay more for their rent. There's not enough housing to offer people the choice of moving if they wanted too in their own areas. I know someone who wants to pay less rent on a smaller property now the children have flown the nest, which she needs to do to help her financially. The housing assoc and local authority have organised three different swaps to this person and each of these people decided they didn't want to move in the end. That's just one person. Can you imagine the chaos on a large scale! It's beginning to remind me of the Poll Tax fiasco. I see it as a game of chess you can't win. Now, this makes make me think about the next ploy of not paying housing benefit direct to the landlord. If there is mass default of rents not being paid, are they going to have mass evictions and where are the homes ready for this problem?

As the title says came out on 18th March 2013 This is the link: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2013/03/advice-for-landlords-on-bedroom-tax18032013 This is a PDF of that link:

there have been quite a few developments on bedroom tax today IDS has announced that foster carers will be entitled to an extra bedroom both whilst fostering and between placements IDS has announced an extra room for claimants with "adult children" in armed forces the dwp have decided to back down from judicial review in relation to extra room for disabled child in social sector the dwp have decided to withdraw their challenge to an extra room for a disabled child in private sector

Lets just document the relevant bits of PMQ's yesterday: Derek Twigg: More than 2,500 households in Halton are affected by the bedroom tax. The chief executive of the National Housing Federation said this week: “The bedroom tax is ill-thought and unfair as thousands of disabled people will have no choice but to cut back further on food and other expenses in order to stay in their…homes.” Will the Prime Minister now drop this callous policy? The Prime Minister: Let us be absolutely clear that this is not a tax. Let me explain to the Labour party that a tax is when someone earns some money and the Government take some of that money away from them—that is a tax. Only Labour could call a benefit reform a tax increase. Let me be clear to the hon. Gentleman: pensioners are exempt, people with severely disabled children are exempt and people who need round-the-clock care are exempt. Those categories of people are all exempt, but there is a basic issue of fairness. How can it be fair that people on housing benefit in private rented accommodation do not get a spare room subsidy, whereas people in social housing do? That is not fair and we are putting that right. Edward Miliband: I notice that the Prime Minister has a new tactic, which is to ask me questions during our exchanges. All I can say is that it is good to see him preparing for opposition. The Home Secretary shakes her head. I am looking forward to facing her when they are in opposition. Let me ask the Prime Minister another question, because he did not answer the one about the bedroom tax. He talked earlier about the hardship fund. Let us look at the facts about the fund. Some £25 million of it has been allocated specifically to help disabled people hit by the bedroom tax, but how much do his own figures show he is taking from disabled people? The answer is £306 million. Will he admit that the vast majority of disabled people hit by his bedroom tax will get no help from his hardship fund? The Prime Minister: First, the whole House, and the whole country, will note that there was no apology for the mess left by the Labour party. Let me tell the right hon. Gentleman that his figures on the spare room subsidy are completely wrong. The last thing he said before sitting down was that we are cutting the money going to disabled people. That is simply not the case. In 2009-10 the money spent on disability living allowance was £12.4 billion. By 2015 it will be £13.3 billion. There is no cut in the money going to the disabled. This Government are protecting that money, in spite of the mess he made. On the spare room subsidy, pensioners are exempt, people with disabled children are exempt and anyone who needs help around the clock is also exempt. As he is fond of reading out letters from constituents, let me read from one I got on this issue from a pensioner: “We are expected to find up to an extra £60 per month out of our pensions for having extra bedrooms.” Of course, they are not, because they are pensioners and are therefore exempt, but they have been terrified by the right hon. Gentleman’s completely irresponsible campaign. Edward Miliband: I think what that means is that there was nothing in the briefing on the question I asked. Let me just make it clear, because the Prime Minister obviously does not understand it. His own impact assessment—he might like to read it, by the way—states that 420,000 disabled people will be hit by the bedroom tax by an average of £700 a year. That is £306 million. The money in the hardship fund allocated to disabled people is just £25 million. It is basic arithmetic. Will he admit that the vast majority of disabled people will get no help from the hardship fund and will be hit by his bedroom tax? The Prime Minister: The right hon. Gentleman is completely wrong, because anyone with severely disabled children is exempt from the spare room subsidy—[interruption.] Mr Speaker: Order. Members must not shout at the tops of their voices at the Prime Minister. The question has been asked, it was heard and the answer must be heard. The Prime Minister: The right hon. Gentleman completely ignores the fact that anyone with severely disabled children and anyone who needs round-the-clock care are exempt from the spare room subsidy. The point he has to address is this: we are spending £23 billion on housing benefit. That is up by 50% over the past decade. That is £1,000 every year for every basic rate taxpayer. We say that it is time to reform housing benefit, and it is only fair that we treat people in social housing in the same way as we treat those in private rented housing. He has no proposals to do anything about welfare, other than to put up borrowing. Edward Miliband: I think that we have established today that the Prime Minister does not understand his own policy. It is shameful to do this and not even understand the impact on the people of this country. He pulls out all the stops to defend the bankers and their bonuses, but he has nothing to say to the disabled people being hit by his bedroom tax. He stands up for the wrong people. It is no wonder his Back Benchers and the country think he is totally out of touch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Facts There is no exemption for disabled children who require their own room in the HB regulations. In fact the DWP are currently taking a case to Supreme Court to argue against disabled children being entitled to their own room. There is similarly no exemption for people requiring around the clock care in the HB regulations. You may be entitled to an extra room if you have a non-resident overnight carer, however this is not an exemption. Plus does not apply if your partner is your carer. If the Prime Minister (with all his special advisers) does not understand how the Bedroom Tax will work, god help the rest of us