Bedroom Tax

[dontwantaname]

I'm currently on ESA, (too many illnesses to mention) but I've found out today that because i have 2 spare bedrooms i have to pay bedroom tax of £19.10p a week and £13.00 council tax a month? There is lots of talk about what size a bedroom should be before its called a bedroom, any room under 70 sq ft is not a bedroom apparently but the council will get you on there tenancy agreement saying "you signed up for a 3 bedroom house" blah blah..

Anyway I have lived here for over 30 years and dont want to downsize as i don't want any more worry at the moment as i am suffering from really bed depression and going through a bereavement at the moment.

Anyway my ESA is £63.15 a week (should be £71.00 but paying back a social fund loan) and out of that i will have to pay £22.35 for the bedroom and council tax which leaves me £40.80 and out of the i have to pay gas, electric, water and food? Obviously i will not be able to survive so im wondering if anyone has any knowledge to beat this horrible extortion?

I have phoned welfare rights and they say there is nothing i can do so this is a long shot that maybe someone might know something they don't no?

Failing this i may as well join the suicide club?

[Nystagmite]

You may get a discretionary housing payment.

[osdset]

There is the option of appealing against the bedroom tax, in fact there is a campaign ongoing encouraging claimants to do just that. If everyone effected appealed the LA's would be tied up with paperwork, and the costs involved would be horrendous. The net result of which would be the LA's lobbying parliament to scrap the tax on the basis that it's unenforceable, and unworkable.

[dontwantaname]

You may get a discretionary housing payment.

 

The welfare rights said i don't qualify for a discretionary housing payment?

[estellyn]

The welfare rights said i don't qualify for a discretionary housing payment?

 

Did they say why? Do you have savings, for instance?

[dontwantaname]

Did they say why? Do you have savings, for instance?

To qualify for DHP you have to be 1) A pensioner, 2) Be entitled to a Severe or Enhanced Disability Premium, 3) Carer, 4) War Widow / War Pensioner, 5, Lone Parent with a child under five years of age.

Seen as i have none of these i do not qualify? And if i had savings i would be able to afford to pay and wouldn't be on here asking for help.

[dontwantaname]

There is the option of appealing against the bedroom tax, in fact there is a campaign ongoing encouraging claimants to do just that. If everyone effected appealed the LA's would be tied up with paperwork, and the costs involved would be horrendous. The net result of which would be the LA's lobbying parliament to scrap the tax on the basis that it's unenforceable, and unworkable.

The lady at the Welfare Rights did tell me to lobby my local MP and get other people to do the same and see if anyone had made a petition and get everyone to sign it as she said that for the past 2 days they have been swamped with calls about the "Bedroom Tax" and everyone is saying they will not pay but will be faced with eviction!!

[RaeUK]

OAP's are exempt anyway ...

[dpick]

To qualify for DHP you have to be 1) A pensioner, 2) Be entitled to a Severe or Enhanced Disability Premium, 3) Carer, 4) War Widow / War Pensioner, 5, Lone Parent with a child under five years of age.

Seen as i have none of these i do not qualify? And if i had savings i would be able to afford to pay and wouldn't be on here asking for help.

 

Hi from the experience of a friend the payment is discretionary by the council the friend I know of has none of the above her partner ended up in jail and as she was only 28 she just got single room rate and received a DHP for the 3 months her partner was in jail.

 

dpick

[estellyn]

To qualify for DHP you have to be 1) A pensioner, 2) Be entitled to a Severe or Enhanced Disability Premium, 3) Carer, 4) War Widow / War Pensioner, 5, Lone Parent with a child under five years of age.

Seen as i have none of these i do not qualify? And if i had savings i would be able to afford to pay and wouldn't be on here asking for help.

 

Have you checked with the council that these are the criteria. I worked with many councils, and none that I worked with had such strict criteria.

[Nystagmite]

Not heard of that criteria either.

[flumps1976]

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/housing_benefit_and_local_housing_allowance/discretionary_housing_payments

each local authority has it's own criteria for DHP.

[id6052]

Local Authorities have a discretion as to who to award to, you should apply anyway

[estellyn]

Local Authorities have a discretion as to who to award to, you should apply anyway

 

Indeed he should. An authority I worked for had a so called 'strict' no repeat DHP payments, but we got second awards a number of times.

[caro]

Unfortunately LA's will have very little available for discretionary payments, so I believe circumstances will need to be pretty compelling for them to be awarded.

[Followme]

I'm just waiting for the letter off my GP so I can forward my application for DHP. I'm a war pensioner and my MP helped get me this place in 2000 as I can only live places with no stairs. I'm supposed to have one extra bedroom but my lad stays 1 week a month, and I use the spare for physio. Plus I paid thousands out for a Jacuzzi so I didn't have to travel the hospital each week for treatment.

[dontwantaname]

Have you checked with the council that these are the criteria. I worked with many councils, and none that I worked with had such strict criteria.

That's exactly what's on the back of my letter - To qualify for DHP you have to be 1) A pensioner, 2) Be entitled to a Severe or Enhanced Disability Premium, 3) Carer, 4) War Widow / War Pensioner, 5, Lone Parent with a child under five years of age.

I have pics of the letter but don't no how to put them up on here?

[Nystagmite]

Can you scan them, remove your details and upload them that way?

[worried33]

I got turned down for DHP today, and I have no savings, plus my shortfall on rent is way higher than £20 a week. Currently I am having to fund a shortfall of almost £50 a week and thats just for 1 room(as private HB is more brutal). Plus soon to be £26 a month council tax.

 

The councils attitude to me was move, when I said how do I fund such move, it was pretty much a tough luck response. I was also pretty much threatened that if I was homeless I would be declared intentionally homeless.

 

Welfare rights have also advised against me sending the ESA3 as they say I am too far into my prognosis period and it will likely trigger a new WCA for me, their experience is on that ESA3's wont usually trigger a new medical assessment if sent right after a decision but my decision was back in october so they feel its too risky. So I am stuck at the moment myself as well.

 

Where my situation isnt quite as bad tho is unless they change the law again I will get relief again next year when i am 35.

 

Good luck.

[dontwantaname]

Can you scan them, remove your details and upload them that way?

I have taken pics and tried to upload them from me phone but when i click on the "insert image" icon above it's asking me to put a URL in? If i knew website where i can upload without registering then i can do it?

[dontwantaname]

I got turned down for DHP today, and I have no savings, plus my shortfall on rent is way higher than £20 a week. Currently I am having to fund a shortfall of almost £50 a week and thats just for 1 room(as private HB is more brutal). Plus soon to be £26 a month council tax.

 

The councils attitude to me was move, when I said how do I fund such move, it was pretty much a tough luck response. I was also pretty much threatened that if I was homeless I would be declared intentionally homeless.

 

Welfare rights have also advised against me sending the ESA3 as they say I am too far into my prognosis period and it will likely trigger a new WCA for me, their experience is on that ESA3's wont usually trigger a new medical assessment if sent right after a decision but my decision was back in october so they feel its too risky. So I am stuck at the moment myself as well.

 

Where my situation isnt quite as bad tho is unless they change the law again I will get relief again next year when i am 35.

 

Good luck.

The welfare rights told me that i probably wont get any help but i need to find out any other alternatives or something that i can work from.

Yes i live alone in a 3 bedroom house and people will say, "down size and stop moaning" but i have lived here 30 odd years and going through a bereavement at the moment and should NOT be bullied to leave my house.. The only way i will leave this house is in a body bag with a note saying "David Cameron assisted with my suicide"

[id6052]

The welfare rights told me that i probably wont get any help but i need to find out any other alternatives or something that i can work from.

Yes i live alone in a 3 bedroom house and people will say, "down size and stop moaning" but i have lived here 30 odd years and going through a bereavement at the moment and should NOT be bullied to leave my house.. The only way i will leave this house is in a body bag with a note saying "David Cameron assisted with my suicide"

 

Was the bereavement of somebody who lived with you?

Was it in the past 12 months?

 

If both answers are yes, you may be entitled to some protection

[dontwantaname]

Was the bereavement of somebody who lived with you?

Was it in the past 12 months?

 

If both answers are yes, you may be entitled to some protection

It was my brother but he lived in his own house?

[id6052]

It was my brother but he lived in his own house?

 

unfortunately protection only applies if the bereavement relates to a member of your household

[impecunious]

As I've already posted on this site, since being unemployed and claiming benefits, HB would only cover 2/3rds of the rent on the modest 2-bed house I've lived in for last 7 yrs now. With no savings, I couldn't possibly cover the shortfall myself, so was "forced" to take the decision to negotiate with my landlord to rent out the spare room. The new "lodger/housemate" pays the landlord direct but I have to cover the additional increase in household energy costs etc. It's a major inconvenience but needs must - safeguarding my home is my main priority. I don't have either the will or the financial resources to physically afford the cost of moving, paying deposits or rent in advance. Besides, I love my home -- it's my safe haven: I've redecorated it, improved it, love tending my garden and respect the house as my own.

 

Although it wouldn't work for everyone, I would rather suffer the inconvenience of sharing my home rather than risk rent arrears and possible eviction etc. I'm lucky that my "lodger/housemate" works long hours, keeps himself to himself and goes home every weekend, even if he's not particularly house-trained!

 

I'm still expected to pay a proportion of my rent and CT out of my JSA - like so many other people - but it's nowhere like the £200+ pcm shortfall I would have experienced before. I have to be careful budgeting but can just about manage because, hopefully, it's just a temporary situation. We are all being squeezed to our absolute limits, so I think it's important to give consideration to using the assets you have to sustain you through these brutal changes to the benefits system. If you have a spare room or two, look at the possibility of renting them out ... talk to your landlord. Severe times sometimes call for severe measures.

 

Sadly, for those people who already live in accommodation with no spare capacity and their rent is above their LHA (Local Housing Allowance) limit, they have very little choice but to hunker down or to try to find cheaper accommodation which I know would be incredibly difficult. (Shelter may be a good place to start looking for advice.) I think the LHA figures are based on the rate of the lowest 30% rental prices in their areas. (I do know that the LHA varies from area to area even within council boundaries.) I understand that for many people moving home will also mean lowering their expectations and living outside their "comfort zone".

 

It seems to be part of the Government's "water torture" strategy of making people less dependent on benefits and "making work pay" ... it's the drip-drip effect of further marginalising the most vulnerable and poorest people in our country and scapegoating them -- demonising them - for all the economic ills that befall us.

 

I just pray that either my self-employment takes off or I find a new job again quickly. Living like this is definitely not a "lifestyle choice" nor is it sustainable on a permanent basis - it's definitely an eye-opener to someone who's worked for over 43 years.

 

Well, it's Easter weekend. The sun is shining and I'm going to make the most of it. Just a thought! Do we get a reprieve over Easter from having to complete our Job Search Activity Record???

 

Impecunious!