to be furious that my long-term disabled sister has just been told she will have to pay the bedroom tax?

[ElectricSheep]

She has been battling with a very severe disability all of her life. Everyday is a struggle for her.

Twenty years ago after a long stay in hospital she was offered a 2 bedroom council flat so that she could be near us - her family - so that we can care for her and support her.

She knows she can never work again. Her consultant advised against it and it is just not a practical option.

And now she is expected to pay about 7% of her income in bedroom tax because the council gave her 2 bedrooms. She didn't ask for 2 bedrooms, it's all they had available. They can't offer her 1 bedroom and anyway moving would much more difficult for her than anyone else.

I'm so furious. On the day the Govt spend £10 million+ on a very controversial funeral they have just made life even more difficult and miserable for my brave, vulnerable sister. Bastards.

I get some benefits for disabled dc but still pay council tax and get 25% discount on the basis of being able to prove that at least one room in the house was used for the sole purpose of disability ie wetroom or to store large bulky equipment.

If I didn't have extra income and needed to claim everything then bedroom tax says;

A family with one disabled child and
three bedrooms, one of which is used
for storing the equipment the disabled
child uses, would be under-occupying.

So would effectively lose 14% of the rent payment. But if I was struggling enough to claim that in the first place then where on earth is that 14% going to come from?

I am fortunate to not be claiming housing benefit or be in social housing right now but am under no illusions how quickly that situation could change and feel that there is a nasty weird double standard going on here.

I am not intending to be spiteful towards the pensioners. I think its a grossly unfair tax and I certainly dont think that it should be affecting anyone. However I am just postulating as to why pensioners, who are notoriously good at going out to vote, havent been touched by any of the cuts.
because if you look hard at the cold facts I would imagine that the pensioners are sitting on far more 'unused' bedrooms than the disabled and that is apparantly what this bedroom tax is all about - freeing up homes for people waiting for bigger houses.
But I am not suggesting for one minute that we should be kicking the old dears out, although why a pensioner is more vulnerable than a disabled person, I have yet to have explained to me

Nettletea That's my parents you are banging on about

No one is saying pensioners should be affected, just wondering if the government's decision not to include them is politically motivated.

Of course its politicly motivated. Pensioners are the largest group of under occupiers and usually under occupy by more rooms.

Op what ever you do do not financially sort out the difference yourself if you do your sister has to declare it as income ( as its a regular sum received intended to be used to pay a normal household bill) if she does they will take it into account as you get no disregards for unearned income,if she does not then its benefit fraud.

She can make a claim to the DHF but do it ASAP they don't have a big enough budget and its first come first served.

What's the disability that prevents someone who can manage living by themselves contribute to society?

Ally oo its obvs chucking out time from the places that have had people drinking a toast to Thatcher.
The disabilists are posting.

Darkesteyes, straight into the ad hominem! Go you!

Why the angry face recall? NettleTea is just stating facts. Pensioners ARE the biggest over occupiers. Do you think it's fair that your parents over occupy a house (I'm assuming since you said 'that's my parents') while families are squished into unsuitable housing or bedsits? How would you justify that?

What's the disability that prevents someone who can manage living by themselves contribute to society?

Use your imagination, why don't you?

Use your imagination, why don't you?

I prefer not make assumptions, that's why i asked the question.

I can think of several just off the top of my head. Actually I can't think of any that prevent a contribution to society because a contribution does not have to be just via earnings but I can think of several that prevent paid employment.

2 of my children are likely to never work 3 of them will possibly be able to work but its likely to be some type of supported employment due to the disability they have all 5 of them will contribute hugely to society due to inheritance tax and being future employers.

Some disabilities are different for each person who has them even if they are called the same thing.

Just off the top of my head some people with autism,ms, epilepsy,brain injury,significant learning disability emphysema ,certain cancers may be unlikely to be able to work.

YANBU. I'm a carer and several of my service users have just found out they are affected. One chap is in a two bedroom house, but is confined to downstairs as his relatively recent disability means that he can no lionger access the upstairs of his house. He has been waiting for alternative suitable accommodation for over two years since becoming disabled. The council can't rehouse him due to a shortage of adapted living accommodation, nor will they make reasonable adaptations to his house as he is seeking to move and they don't want to waste money He found out today that he is in arrears due to unpaid under-occupancy penalty. He is too frightened to make a noise about it or try to appeal incase they realise that he doesn't use either of the bedrooms and make him pay even more

The same thing is happening with my mother who worked all her days until 4 years ago when she developed a serious illness and had to claim dla, the thing is she is quite happy to move to a 1 bedroom flat but as there are none available in our area equipped with ramps, wet room showers etc she has no choice but to stay put and pay this tax. I've heard from the horses mouth that this is just the start. When they eventually introduce universal credit it's going to get a hell if a lot worse, even government officials have been warning this is the beginning of the end for this country.

YANBU but does your sister know that she could take in a lodger without losing any benefit? That would more than offset what she's losing.

It is bloody scary.

fortyplus i dont think many people will be falling over themselves to take strangers into their homes.

Forty no she can't any income you receive from a lodger is included as income for assessment.and some LA's will also deduct a none dependant deduction.

Of course that's their choice - but it's what plenty of other people do to supplement their income. I don't suppose many people actually like taking in lodgers.

Sockreturningpixie - yes she can - it's been introduced at the same time as the so-called bedroom tax. It only applies to people in social housing subject to a loss of benefit because of under occupancy.

england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/renting_and_leasehold/sharing_and_subletting/lodgers

I think it is unreasonable to expect someone who is already having to manage a disability/caring for a disabled child to manage a lodger too. It also doesn't help people who need the "spare" room to store equipment or because a disabled child can't share with a sibling.

A lodger? Really? Do people struggling with disabilities have the time or energy for lodgers?

That's only a proposed change to the rules not a actual change and even the proposal is only being talked about as relevant to those getting universal credit from October so nobody now as universal credit is only being tested in one area.

And so far it has not changed from proposal to actually happening on the uc info.