Families may lose their homes next year due to ‘bedroom tax’
Families across the UK will be desperately looking for a new place to live next year ahead of changes to the Welfare Reform Bill potentially forcing them out of their homes.
Coming into force in April 2013, the under-occupation penalty is likely to affect 670,000 working age families in the UK.
This could cost families in the South West up to £1000 per year, or the risk of eviction should they not be able to pay their rent.
A typical three-bedroom house in the South West could see cuts of £20 per week should one of the bedrooms no longer fit strict criteria.
Families will be forced to meet payments by making more personal cuts or going into debt.
Despite the popular misconception that housing benefit claimants can live where they want, it is notoriously difficult for families in receipt of it to find a landlord willing to take them on or a house with the right number of bedrooms.
Currently social landlords allocate families a home based on an assessment. But when the family is in receipt of housing benefit to cover the rent, a new size criteria could penalize the family, even if every bedroom in the house is used.
This will mainly affect separated parents who need a bedroom for their children when they stay.
Foster parents whose foster children do not count, even though they need a bedroom.
Teenagers who are given their own bedroom rather than being forced the share.
Chief executive of the National Housing Federation, David Orr said: “We have been deeply concerned about this bedroom tax for some time but these new figures show the damage will be far worse than previously thought.
“Hard-up families in the South West face penalties of up to £1,000 a year simply because the Government have deemed their homes are suddenly too big for their needs.
“This will have disastrous implications for a huge number of people already struggling to make ends meet in the tough economic climate, including foster carers, grandparents, disabled people and smaller families. “