Bedroom tax.... how does it work for those in low rent housing?

[byanymeans]

HI there I am asking on behave of a friend who is in a very low rent two bed house. I think she pays about £300ish a month but it is not a council house its part of a housing co-op.
She is a single lady on her own, over low income and under 60. she is of course 'under occupied' in her house but has not means of moving or down sizing with out increasing her rent.

I think the benefits change will mean on a rent of £300 with one spare room that she will will get:
£300 - 14% = so £258 per month benefit
And she will have to find the £42 to make up the rent.

BUT given that her rent is so low is it a question of:
'the max amount of rent in the area' - 14%= more then her £300 rent so she will get all £300?

I thought it only affected council/HA houses but I'm not sure on housing co-ops

I was on the understanding that it covers all housing benefit claims? private, h/a or Council.

It definitely doesn't apply to private rental properties, if someone is renting a 3 bed who only requires a 2 bed, they only get the housing benefit on a 2 bed property value and have to top the rent up themselves. The whole point in the Bedroom tax is to better allocate council properties so that people who need larger properties can get them. Not sure on housing co ops I'm sorry :)

What Rockchick said. For private renters, it's a question of the LHA caps set by the council. For those in social housing claiming housing benefit, it's a matter of under-occupying and losing that part of your benefit.

We're in this position now that one of our children has died.

I don't get how it's going to better allocate council/HA housing, though. I mean, where are you meant to go, especially with the LHA caps for private rents being so low?

It was meant to free up larger properties by encouraging people to downsize. The problem is that it doesn't apply to people of pensionable age, which in my experience as a housing officer, makes this all a bit pointless as I have loads of single elderly people in 3/4 bed houses. Also, we have only a handful of 1 bed properties so people aren't really going to downsize from 2 beds.

It's a good point though if there's no chance to downsize to a 1 bed it's quite unfair to expect everyone to go private to free up a 2 bed.

If you ate still checking this thread natzer could you please give some advice. My widowed mil is in a 3 bed council flat alone. She won't be able to afford the rent when her housing benefit decreases in April. She's unlikely to get a one bed council flat in the same area due to v little availability. If she moves further away she won't be near to her family or job is there anything she can do if she can't find a suitable flat swap?

Are not ate

Bump

thinkfast she will need to contact her local council and speak to them. It may be a case of her looking into private renting, or the councils do have discretion to top up housing benefit if desperate circumstances, however it's likely she would have to have exhausted all other options eg she may have to accept she will be living further away from her job and family.