I thought this only applied to underoccupiers? People in mums area of London have started getting letters about it already.

My mum is looking forward to it...
The council where she is have offered a premium to those who give up larger flats and houses and downsize..
Mum has been wanting to for ages but long waiting lists and the cost of moving and re-setting up house put her off,,
Now she says she will jump at the chance to trade in her draughty 3 bed house for a nice 1 bed flat no more stairs, much less cleaning she says it will do her the world of good. Plus the premium they pay will help her pay for carpet and curtains in the new place.

 

My friend has a three bedroom house and she is scared she wont be able to afford to live there now
She has lived in the village all her life , her friends and everything she knows is here , yet the council want to move her to a one bedroom flat in town

And its like she says , she often has her son and grandson to stay , how can she do that in a one bedroom flat

 

Remember when my Nana gave up her 3 bedroom ed house and moved in to an old people's bungalow it was 2 bedrooms which most are around here so in effect what they are saying is if you are old we will deduct you more benefit or move you a long way from family and they won't be able to call around and help you and it will cost the government more to put in place a care package that will cost us a lot more than14/16 for that extra bedroom we say you shouldn't have and when your family do visit they won't be able to stay because you won't have the room!!

 

My friend has a three bedroom house and she is scared she wont be able to afford to live there now
She has lived in the village all her life , her friends and everything she knows is here , yet the council want to move her to a one bedroom flat in town

And its like she says , she often has her son and grandson to stay , how can she do that in a one bedroom flat

I know this sounds harsh but why should she receive extra money so she can have guests?

Social housing is just that, it's not a permanent home & people have to expect to move when there needs no longer justfy their accommodation. Why should a single person receive money to fund a house that is too big for them?

I could only afford a one bed flat for years so all my guests had to sleep on the sofa. Why should people on benefits not have to to make do & adjust to suit their means just as everyone else has to :confused1:

 

Remember when my Nana gave up her 3 bedroom ed house and moved in to an old people's bungalow it was 2 bedrooms which most are around here so in effect what they are saying is if you are old we will deduct you more benefit or move you a long way from family and they won't be able to call around and help you and it will cost the government more to put in place a care package that will cost us a lot more than14/16 for that extra bedroom we say you shouldn't have and when your family do visit they won't be able to stay because you won't have the room!!

My understanding ( and i may be wrong),is that those over retirement age won't have to pay the extra.

 

I thought this only applied to underoccupiers? People in mums area of London have started getting letters about it already.

My mum is looking forward to it...
The council where she is have offered a premium to those who give up larger flats and houses and downsize..
Mum has been wanting to for ages but long waiting lists and the cost of moving and re-setting up house put her off,,
Now she says she will jump at the chance to trade in her draughty 3 bed house for a nice 1 bed flat no more stairs, much less cleaning she says it will do her the world of good. Plus the premium they pay will help her pay for carpet and curtains in the new place.

My in laws who all live in London are benefiting from this. The flat offered is amazing. Their old fashioned 1950's house is being modernised and given to a family that need it. The needs of a more mature couple whose children have flown the nest are being met. No huge garden to manage but a nice little area, off road parking, no struggling to find a spot on the kerbside. But at the same time still in a vibrant community. They are quids up!

 

My understanding ( and i may be wrong),is that those over retirement age won't have to pay the extra.

I hope you're right

 

I hope you're right

"Those over State Pension Credit age will not be affected, including where one
member of a couple is over."
Bedroom Tax - National Housing Federation

 

It does make sense when you really think about it.All those people with 2 or more kids looking for a house 3 or more bedroomed.Your not gonna get one unless someone moves out to suit their housing needs.One person in a 3bedroomed house, even though they have lived in there for along time and dont want to give it up.
You could always buy the house if you didnt want to give it up lol

 

I know this sounds harsh but why should she receive extra money so she can have guests?

Social housing is just that, it's not a permanent home & people have to expect to move when there needs no longer justfy their accommodation. Why should a single person receive money to fund a house that is too big for them?

I could only afford a one bed flat for years so all my guests had to sleep on the sofa. Why should people on benefits not have to to make do & adjust to suit their means just as everyone else has to :confused1:

Or there are people like me who moved to a two bedroomed house instead of a three bedroomed, so my brother couldn't inflict himself on her for the weekend!

I have nothing against people having to change to a smaller place; they would probably downsize anyway if they had their own houses, so long as they are not forced to take whatever is offered. Someone who only needs room for one but has, like me, a couple of dogs should not be forced to take a flat with no garden. If they are going to rearrange people, they must take pets into account as well.

Sometimes you still see very old buildings with the windows bricked up which came from the window tax imposed by William and Mary. Perhaps they will re-instate that one next!

 

Or there are people like me who moved to a two bedroomed house instead of a three bedroomed, so my brother couldn't inflict himself on her for the weekend!

I have nothing against people having to change to a smaller place; they would probably downsize anyway if they had their own houses, so long as they are not forced to take whatever is offered. Someone who only needs room for one but has, like me, a couple of dogs should not be forced to take a flat with no garden. If they are going to rearrange people, they must take pets into account as well.

Sometimes you still see very old buildings with the windows bricked up which came from the window tax imposed by William and Mary. Perhaps they will re-instate that one next!

God i hope Cameron doesn't read this. I'm sure he would do it given the chance.

 

We downsized a couple of years ago from 3 to 2 bedrooms we work and don't claim anything but obviously don't know what the future holds and I'm sure as hell not going to be forced to move to some hell hole if and when the time comes I'd rather loose money than do that. Will they rebate the money people have spent improving the properties and gardens because the council are not good at repairs,took them 6 months of written complaints to fix our bedroom windows so they would actually close

 

It does make sense when you really think about it.All those people with 2 or more kids looking for a house 3 or more bedroomed.Your not gonna get one unless someone moves out to suit their housing needs.One person in a 3bedroomed house, even though they have lived in there for along time and dont want to give it up.
You could always buy the house if you didnt want to give it up lol

This is the way I see it! My mother in law occupies a 4 bedroom council house with her boyfriend, no one else lives there. She has never used all of the bedrooms and now she uses the rooms to hoard junk. The council have offered her a premium and the cost of moving to downsize to a 1 or 2 bed house or flat (keep in mind a 2 bed property is still bigger than her need) and she has decided that it is 'her' house why should she move!?

I know of at least 4 families out of my own friends who have been made to cram into a tiny 1 or 2 bed until a 4 bed becomes available as they are few and far between.

 

I know this sounds harsh but why should she receive extra money so she can have guests?

Social housing is just that, it's not a permanent home & people have to expect to move when there needs no longer justfy their accommodation. Why should a single person receive money to fund a house that is too big for them?

I could only afford a one bed flat for years so all my guests had to sleep on the sofa. Why should people on benefits not have to to make do & adjust to suit their means just as everyone else has to :confused1:

A council (or HA) property is not always paid for by benefits, some tenants do actually have jobs, and trust me, they aint always cheap, we rent a 2 bedroom HA bungalow, the rent is £92/week, the rates are £1100 a year,

 

A council (or HA) property is not always paid for by benefits, some tenants do actually have jobs, and trust me, they aint always cheap, we rent a 2 bedroom HA bungalow, the rent is £92/week, the rates are £1100 a year,

I'm glad you raised that point.Imagine working for years and spending all that money on your home only to be told you have to move out or pay even more rent.

 

As far as I understand its been brought in to match what people who rent from the private sector but claim housing benefit claim. If you rent privately the council will only give you money to cover the rent of the size house you need. For me I get the rate appropriate to a two bedroom allowance as my children are under 10 and are different genders they are meant to share a room. I however have a 3 bed and pay the difference (don't get the full allowance anyway as we do work). I'm lucky that my rent is not much more then most 2 bed in my area and some are actually more expensive then mine.

I think it's right the council do this. I have a friend who is crammed into a small flat in a horrible area with her 3 children and husband because no bigger houses are avaliable.

 

I hear people saying they know people crammed in to small places in horrible areas, its the horrible areas that can hold a lot of people back from moving (downsizing), it certainly would with me

 

This is the way I see it! My mother in law occupies a 4 bedroom council house with her boyfriend, no one else lives there. She has never used all of the bedrooms and now she uses the rooms to hoard junk. The council have offered her a premium and the cost of moving to downsize to a 1 or 2 bed house or flat (keep in mind a 2 bed property is still bigger than her need) and she has decided that it is 'her' house why should she move!?

I know of at least 4 families out of my own friends who have been made to cram into a tiny 1 or 2 bed until a 4 bed becomes available as they are few and far between.

Its her house but really shes renting it from the council.If she doesnt want to move out she could always buy the property.I just feel for people who have 3 or more kids living in a 2bedroomed house.Where do they go from there? There only hope is private renting.If nobody is willing to move then i think the council will step up and make people.
We moved out of a larger council house and downsized but got a bigger garden and a nicer area.We have had to throw alot of stuff out.

 

There is an old couple down the road from me that have a 4 bedroom home and refuse too move,perhaps this will sort it out so that a family can live there,preferably a nice one.

 

It does make sense when you really think about it.All those people with 2 or more kids looking for a house 3 or more bedroomed.Your not gonna get one unless someone moves out to suit their housing needs.One person in a 3bedroomed house, even though they have lived in there for along time and dont want to give it up.
You could always buy the house if you didnt want to give it up lol

How can they buy it if they are on benefits?

I personally think the people claiming benefits with no disabled or elderly in the household should start living in the real world we all have to struggle in.

 

How can they buy it if they are on benefits?

I personally think the people claiming benefits with no disabled or elderly in the household should start living in the real world we all have to struggle in.

She might get a job after lol then look into buying :thumbsup: If she really wants the house and doesnt want to move

 

I think this will affect my sister big time. The council built a 5 bedroom house for her, none they had were suitable so built one instead. At the time she had 6 children at home and the eldest is very severely disabled she needs 24 hour care (provided solely by my sister she gets no help). So downstairs is specially adapted, extra wide doors for wheelchair access and bedroom/bathroom with special lifts etc. 3 daughters have their own homes now, eldest son looking to get his own place and youngest hoping to join the army early next year.

So that will leave her with a high under occupancy, council will not move her though because of the cost of alterating another property.

 

There's a couple who live in our street they have 3 kids in a 2 bedroomed house not one of them have any intentions of going to work.
Bone idle i'd call it.
How can people just sit there and twiddle their thumbs.

 

I think this will affect my sister big time. The council built a 5 bedroom house for her, none they had were suitable so built one instead. At the time she had 6 children at home and the eldest is very severely disabled she needs 24 hour care (provided solely by my sister she gets no help). So downstairs is specially adapted, extra wide doors for wheelchair access and bedroom/bathroom with special lifts etc. 3 daughters have their own homes now, eldest son looking to get his own place and youngest hoping to join the army early next year.

So that will leave here with a high under occupancy, council will not move her though because of the cost of alterating another property.

That will be the same for my inlaws when both the daughters leave home. The house had a downstairs ramp, bedroom and wet room added a few years ago for their father. There are two bedrooms upstairs that he cannot access but his wife can.
Hopefully it won't apply to them

 

i live in a council flat. me and my husband share a 1 bed flat, so we wouldnt have to move, im also not planning for kids for years to come so shouldnt have to move until then. i also live with 28 rats, so if i did move it would have to be one that takes pets. i would love a 2 bed flat so i could ahve a rat room but i know unless i buy thats not going to happen. i dont recieve benefits for any bills, i pay the £94.12 rent per week for my 1 bed flat.