Bedroom tax refund??

[phil76]

Just heard about a loophole about renting since 1996 you can get a refund on bedroom tax,who do I contact about getting a refund??

[kirkbyinfurnesslad]

It's not a tax

[phil76]

But I'm still entitled to refund?do I contact my landlord?

[kirkbyinfurnesslad]

Who's your landlord? If you have been underpaid benefit you would need to contact the council. I don't know the ins and outs of this loophole

[tomtom256]

Have you had a break of more than 4 weeks in your HB at any point? If not contact write to your local authority asking them to review your claim based on this.

 

Some are automatically refunding it, some have put the onus on claimants.

[osdset]

It's not a tax

 

It was never originally called the spare room subsidy either, that's the government's catch phrase. Most ordinary people and the media, refer to it as the bedroom tax.

 

What it's called is irrelevant.

[phil76]

Thank you everyone my landlord is midland heart

[renegadeimp]

If its to do with CT benefit, contact your council and tell them. Your LL hs nothing to do with it.

[RaeUK]

It's a selective tax.

[tomtom256]

It's a selective tax.

 

It's not though is it. LHA only pays for the bedrooms required, this was brought in to make it fairer for all on benefits, including those that couldn't get social housing!

 

Not saying I agree with it, but at least it makes it fairer for all, as some have no choice but to rent privately.

 

But this has already been discussed to death when it was brought in.

[RaeUK]

It isn't 'fair for all on benefits' at all. Not by a long chalk. As I said, selective.

[renegadeimp]

So forcibly evicting someone is 'fair' is it?

[Mr.P]

this was brought in to make it fairer for all on benefits, including those that couldn't get social housing!

 

Is it "fairer" - I don't think so. It has pushed the rents up on some smaller privately rented properties and caused untold misery for those least able to pay. Then there are the privately owned properties where no "bedroom tax" is levied - I fall in to the latter group and have a spare room that could be used as a bedroom, yet incurs no additional charge on my council tax bill.

If anything, leaving it unoccupied returns a 25% saving on the CT.

[sparky514]

it has something to do with if you have claimed HB and CTB since 2006 (not sure if this is the correct year) on a continues basis, then they can't charge you for extra bedrooms, or something like that, sorry if that's not much help x

 

"Tenants who have occupied the same property continuously and taken housing benefit for it since 1996 should never have been included in the policy, Mr Barker discovered. When the Department for Work and Pensions drafted the controversial legislation it did not update housing benefit regulations dating from that year.

Those affected include some who are facing eviction because of the bedroom tax- or who have been forced to move to smaller properties.

Mr Barker, who is a consultant on housing policy, put up his findings on a blog called Rights Net and it instantly went viral. Now more than 10,000 people have viewed it - rather more than his usual blog audience of “two or three hundred”."

 

 

just found this on the net, sorry got the year wrong x

Edited January 18, 2014 by sparky514

[caro]

You need to apply to your council as soon as possible Phil, and ask them to review your benefit from 1st April 2013 as you believe that you were entitled to full benefit .

[caro]

it has something to do with if you have claimed HB and CTB since 2006 (not sure if this is the correct year) on a continues basis, then they can't charge you for extra bedrooms, or something like that, sorry if that's not much help x

 

 

Continuous in the same property from 1996.

 

Government released the urgent Housing Benefit bulletin U1/2014 on 8th Jan 2014.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...e-room-subsidy

 

This is the PDF:

Edited January 18, 2014 by stu007

[RaeUK]

Is that also continuously on HB since 1996, caro? (I can't remember). Either way it sadly doesn't apply to me although I've lived here since 1998, so close!

[tomtom256]

Is it "fairer" - I don't think so. It has pushed the rents up on some smaller privately rented properties and caused untold misery for those least able to pay. Then there are the privately owned properties where no "bedroom tax" is levied - I fall in to the latter group and have a spare room that could be used as a bedroom, yet incurs no additional charge on my council tax bill.

If anything, leaving it unoccupied returns a 25% saving on the CT.

 

Thats because it has nothing to do with council tax and only affects housing benefit payments. How has it pushed private rents up as the "bedroom tax" is for social housing not privated rented, you seem to be getting it mixed up with LHA that has been around for a few years.

[antone]

Thats because it has nothing to do with council tax and only affects housing benefit payments. How has it pushed private rents up as the "bedroom tax" is for social housing not privated rented, you seem to be getting it mixed up with LHA that has been around for a few years.

 

It pushes up demand for private sector rents from people who are trying to find a way to move out of their under occupied social properties.

 

And one key difference between LHA and the bedroom tax is that LHA was not introduced retrospectively - it only applied to new claims or people who moved to a new property. No-one suddenly had the rug pulled out from under them.

[45002]

It's a selective tax.

 

I would call it

 

"Gerrymandering"

 

Especially in some parts of London and South east

 

Who remembers what Dame Shirley Porter got up to in the 80's when she was on Westminster council

[phil76]

it has something to do with if you have claimed HB and CTB since 2006 (not sure if this is the correct year) on a continues basis, then they can't charge you for extra bedrooms, or something like that, sorry if that's not much help x

 

"Tenants who have occupied the same property continuously and taken housing benefit for it since 1996 should never have been included in the policy, Mr Barker discovered. When the Department for Work and Pensions drafted the controversial legislation it did not update housing benefit regulations dating from that year.

Those affected include some who are facing eviction because of the bedroom tax- or who have been forced to move to smaller properties.

Mr Barker, who is a consultant on housing policy, put up his findings on a blog called Rights Net and it instantly went viral. Now more than 10,000 people have viewed it - rather more than his usual blog audience of “two or three hundred”."

 

 

just found this on the net, sorry got the year wrong x

 

Thank you so much!

[phil76]

You need to apply to your council as soon as possible Phil, and ask them to review your benefit from 1st April 2013 as you believe that you were entitled to full benefit .

 

Thank you so much!will contact them on monday

[dyfed]

It's not a tax

 

When is a tax not a tax?

When its the bedroom tax.

[id6052]

The pre 1996 exemption from Size Criteria for social sector tenants works as follows: -

 

 

 

If a social sector tenant has been: -

1. in the same property since 1 April 1996 (moves are only allowed where a tenant is decanted due to fire, flood or other natural disaster).
   
2. in continuous receipt of HB since 1 April 1996 break (breaks of less than 4 weeks are ignored or breaks of less than 52 weeks for Welfare to Work Beneficiaries.
   

Succession to tenancy

Where a tenancy has been succeeded to, and the successor and successee between them meet both criteria continuously, the protection can be inherited.

 

Please note DWP are already planning to close this loophole. They are expected to close it before April 2014. Once closed, pre 1996 tenants will be subject to size criteria again.

 

If you believe you satisfy both criteria, I would suggest getting proof of tenancy start date from your landlord, and send this to HB department to ask for your HB to be reviewed from 1 April 2013 under the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Consequential Provisions) Regulations 2006

Edited January 19, 2014 by id6052

[phil76]

The pre 1996 exemption from Size Criteria for social sector tenants works as follows: -

 

 

If a social sector tenant has been: -

1. in the same property since 1 April 1996 (moves are only allowed where a tenant is decanted due to fire, flood or other natural disaster).
   
2. in continuous receipt of HB since 1 April 1996 break (breaks of less than 4 weeks are ignored or breaks of less than 52 weeks for Welfare to Work Beneficiaries.
   

Succession to tenancy

Where a tenancy has been succeeded to, and the successor and successee between them meet both criteria continuously, the protection can be inherited.

 

Please note DWP are already planning to close this loophole. They are expected to close it before April 2014. Once closed, pre 1996 tenants will be subject to size criteria again.

 

If you believe you satisfy both criteria, I would suggest getting proof of tenancy start date from your landlord, and send this to HB department to ask for your HB to be reviewed rom 1 April 2013 under the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Consequential Provisions) Regulations 2006

Thank you