Mumsnet Talk

I live in a 3 bed HA house and have 2 DCs. My DD is at Uni 75 miles away. My DS lives at home with me.
DD comes home in the holidays, at weekends and sometimes midweek if she can.

This bedroom tax proposes that I either pay extra for her room or move to a smaller house.
Now I work all the hours I can and am assessed to be eligible for HB. I don't earn enough to find a spare £75 a month, which is what they are asking. If I did, I wouldn't need HB.

I can't rent the room out as I'm not sure if I'm allowed to by my HA. And if I did, my DD wouldn't be able to come home. It's a tiny box room anyway.

When DD has finished Uni, if she finds a job and chooses to live elsewhere, then I will move to a smaller house. Until then, this is still her home and will continue to be - unless Cameron has his way.

I ask what will my DD do if she doesn't find a job straight away and can't live with her family?
The council paid her part of the HB here for her first year at Uni but on April 1st it will all change - although our circumstances will have not.

Your daughter has moved away to university, she is an adult now. I think you should move to a smaller house? After all there's families in one bedroom flats with two children because they can't get a bigger house.

Wowzer. Where are all these smaller houses?
This is a tax on the poor and it's pathetic.

It's shit isn't it? They say that many more children will be living at home into their 30's due to house prices and difficulty finding a rent that is not extortionate. All fine unless you have the bad luck to not own your own home..then you are stuffed! DC is now too old to be deemed your responsibility, too young to claim anything other than a single room rent, horris house share by any other name, and you are left needing to move when money from the local housing fund could be actually saved by letting dc live with you. I have just left rented accomodation, hopefully forever, but it is terrifying the way you are treated if you rent. The papers make it sound so easy, large house..move! The reality is many older dc's have no-where else to go and the whole family is going to suffer. Not a helpful post just venting with you! I wish you are your family well.

Don't panic! I'm sure I read on another thread the other day/week that there's a cut off for how long university students are away before bedroom tax applies. Check that and if she is away less than the limit you won't have to worry. If she comes home at holidays and weekends sounds like you might get under the limit? Fingers crossed for you.

My friend was in a similar situation, 3 bed house, 1 daughter living there and a second visiting regularly. She was told to apply to a discretionary fund and it should be covered. Speak to the council.

sneezing I've spoke to my council and they say the cut off is after her first year in Uni. She's in her second year now.

purple I will enquire about the discretionary fund.

Wowser If you read my post you'll see that my DD spends a lot of time here. She is an adult yes, but she isn't totally independent and the life she is living now means she'll need my support when she's finished at Uni in just over a year. I have no intention of moving to a smaller house just before she leaves Uni with a large debt and no sure job prospects. She has every intention of coming back to live with her family and I am really happy about that. If she gets work she will pay her own rent obviously, and that's what we hope for, but we intend to stay as a unit.

We've lived here for 10 years and it's my family home. The thought of my DD not having a place with us and having to find somewhere else to live is sickening.

We are in the same situation. Council said if I don't plan to permanently move home after uni my mum will either have to pay the tax or move home - which would involve moving to a new town some ten miles away. It's daft. I am a carer to my mum although non resident and need that room for the nights I am at home supporting her - unless the council would rather I slept on the sofa!!

confusteling are your council covering the rent until you leave uni then?

Not sure to be honest. Think I am going to phone again just to check exactly what will happen as they were somewhat vague on the phone. The last person I spoke to wittered on about permanent and temporary addresses and said if I kept my mum's as a permanent address they'd continue to pay. That's where I am registered for bank, voting etc, but not sure how it all works.

I'm with wowser. She is not a child she is an adult

She may be an adult but she's an adult with no means to support herself yet and no home. Her intention is to continue living with her mother and there's no reason why she shouldn't. You have my sympathies OP. Second job in the evenings at least till dd finishes uni and then you can see if you still need 3 rooms?

I think certain people should remind themselves that the OP has posted for support

I see people all the time on MN saying that the state cant pay for everyone. People are going to have to live with their families whether they like it or not, we cant support them etc etc

And then I come on to this thread and hear "shes an adult, kick her out and move house."

Well which is it? Should the state support the OP moving house (how do you think people on benefits can afford to move?) and pay her DD single room rate after uni, or should they pay the rent they are paying now (HA properties are reasonable rent) and let the OP support her DD until she finds work?

People cant win right now. Whatever they do is wrong.

I have 3 kids under 10 with 2 bedrooms. They share a room

Op has 3 bedrooms? 2 adults 1 child

How is that fair

Oh and I can't move as not available houses in my area.

I know nothing about the bedroom tax, but your daughter should be able to stay with you until she gets a job and can support herself somewhere else.

The problem is though that she could find it difficult to get a job, or not bother to look for one. Its difficult.

Op have a search for discresionary hpusing payment (dhp) you may be entitled to it.

I didn't move back home after uni, but my parents had to sign as guarantors when I rented my first flat. I picked up temp work quite quickly but I don't think its that easythese days.

Fairyloo

Is it the OPs fault there arent available houses in your area?

2 adults and 1 child still equals three bedroom entitlement. So "Its not fair!!" is hardly a reasonable arguement.

It is very difficult, esp as the law is to free up houses that are empty nests, and I get the logic of that, yet yours is not fully empty.

Does your DD work? If not she's old enough for a frank discussion, could she chip in some of the £75?

I know it's not ops fault and the whole bedroom tax is bad for everyone.

I'm just really frustrated by my own situation and saw red. Apologies

I am sure its horrendous. We have two kids in a two bed and although thats seen as normal I hate it. Three is awful.

But MN is a great place to get support and its sad that the OP is being attacked instead.

Pp

If your mother requires an overnight carer then she would be entitled to the additional room for carers, contact your HB department about this.

Wouldn't you be better off not paying for your daughter to have 2 places to live? Or could you move closer to her uni so that she can either live with you or you'll be nearer if she needs to see you midweek?