They should get rid of the housing benefit cap!

We should not be subsiding privately owned companies and landlords

Well said - a rounded argument for all workers!!

I'm on just under the average wage and I absolutely think that the 4 of them should have more to live on than the 1 of me! They don't even see half that money, it goes straight into the pocket of a private landlord.

We need more social housing, higher benefits and higher wages. We should not be subsiding privately owned companies and landlords.

Im not currently working as my childcare fell through just at the end of my maternity leave so that is my total monthly income,yes my son gets fsm but that won't cover the extra £500 or so I'd need to find to rent a 3 bed,when I return to work ill have to pay childcare as well as the rent deficit, it's just not feasible on one salary, my full time wage as a ta was 1200,obvs got less uc when working

£1650 just in benefits though. Do you children get fsm on top? And when you add your wages to that, the actual amount could be equivalent to a well above average salary

I get £850 housing benefit entitlement for a 3 bed,which is an amazing help but cheapest 3 bed in my area is 1300+, my total UC entitlement is £1650, I can't afford to rent privately and council won't help so I'm in a 2 bed with 3 kids,the housing benefit doesn't reflect gow much private properties actually cost

This. You even agreed.
Many of these families rely on housing benefit to top up their wages because even full-time jobs on minimum wage don’t pay enough to cover skyrocketing rents.

Id go for the UBI route and stop everything else, make it pay to work.

No, I am old enough to remember when we had it before. There were hardly any private flats to rent.

We need rent control as a country

Perhaps if poverty wages weren't being propped up by the state, then wages in expensive areas would have to rise

In my area housing benefit can be increased for a year if someone is homeless and they can't afford private rent. However, there are still lots of people in temporary accommodation, including families being put up in hotels with no kitchen facilities, because there just aren't enough homes available. Scrapping the housing benefit cap won't do anything positive, it could possibly inflate rent prices further and it would be very unfair for people just above the benefits threshold who struggle to make ends meet and end up in worse housing than people who are on benefits. I do fully support a benefit system but I also don't think those working should be worse off for it.

Yes, but my point is, job vacancies are not a reason to lift the cap currently. It isn't a current issue.

But those low paid people are being topped up with UC and HB. If they were not, then I would think things would look very different.

If London ever struggles to fill low paid vacancies, you would have a point. I believe the opposite is currently true, and areas of London are some of the lowest paid in the country.

This basically prices anyone out on low paid jobs out of where they are working.
There are low paid jobs in London that still need doing, and it is pretty shite to expect those people to commute for hours just to do them.
It is all very well saying that the problem should be with the employers, and that they should pay more. Good luck getting cleaners in the NHS a pay rise big enough to afford London rents without HB.

How unbelievably cheeky of them!
Do use your RTB though. I am ideologically opposed to it, but on a personal level, the world owes none of us a favour. Take what you can get. They system isn't your responsibility, you making your own life harder wont fix it.

@NeverDropYourMooncup and yep lets also add in the fact that you may not know anyone, can only have a mortgage over say 15 years max ( example) and that many cheap areas in midlands and north arent always brimming with decently paid jobs and competition for them is higher and that the nicer areas are often not that cheap -

Maybe it might work if you are youngish and public service ( police/nurse/doctor/teacher ) etc -

No, I totally agree that they should take it over as a property I did look at via swapping around 8 years ago I'd have been very happy to do. However, the family I was looking to swap with (we did actually view each other's properties) then said they had rent arrears they wanted me to pay off before they were allowed to move 🙄

The current system is an absolute mess. That's why I've twice tried to go direct via the HA and been knocked back both times.

Can I have an instantly permanent and secure job in an easily accessible location on my current salary, then, please? DP's not so fussed about accessibility other than there actually being a bus to and from the area.

I'm not sure how I'd get a mortgage if it's obvious we'd both then be instantly unemployed (and in my case, probably unemployable due to age and disability). Oh, and because of age, it can't be for a longer term. And we've only got £14k saved due to the most recent (ie, only one in ten years) payrise finally taking us above subsistence level.

Could do with some funds towards moving several hundred miles and the necessary adaptations, too.

Which is why I think councils/HA need to be facilitating swaps themselves, rather than having homes underoccupied for years until/unless it suits the resident. Much as I can understand why you haven't wanted to move, it's just not a sustainable way to manage social housing stock.

The last time I applied to downsize via HA was around four years ago and they said they couldn't facilitate it for my area. I'm not looking on home swap now as DM lives in the same area is nearing end of life care, and I need to be on the doorstep. Once that time passes I'll be seeking a mortgage on a smaller property instead and returning this one to the HA. I do have the right to buy, and would receive a substantial discount but I don't agree that should still be even offered as an option anyway even if I did want to remain in this property.

Presumably you're on the home swapper sites then? I'm very surprised that there are no overcrowded families in your area. That's extremely odd.

Inner cities absolutely that would be the likely case. However, I'm out in the sticks in a mining village, and it's like this housing wise in most areas local to here. The only 1 bed properties are for over 55's, or disabled access adapted, 2beds are in high demand, 3beds not so much due to the bedroom tax. I'm exempt from the bedroom tax as I pay full rent.

Personally I'd much prefer something smaller as I'm rattling around the house, the garden is too big, and it's more expensive to heat. The housing association my property was sold off to aren't interested as they're still getting their rent.

One thing I do think is we should be incentivising the big insurance and pension companies with big tax incentives to invest in social housing at social housing level of rents or shared ownership on the open market - not just new builds.

The big tax breaks should come with conditions with regard to increases in rent/service charges/maintenance standards etc-

There are also many couples and families who would be in a position to do say a 40% share on a house on the openmarket( with mortgage) and this would then be doable in a quicker time frame as not new builds -

The demographics must be rather unique in your area then... Councils really need to start facilitating swaps rather than waiting for homes to be empty to shuffle people about. There absolutely will be people in overcrowded conditions you could swap with.

Op confused the situation by calling it a housing benefit cap. What you actually mean is the local housing allowance rate, that's not a cap and isn't known ad a cap.