Should there be a limit on housing benefit paid for private rentals?

[speedymama]

This will no doubt be controversial but it is something that my friends have been discussing this weekend.

The uncle of a friend of mine is renting out his 3 bed flat in South East London to an unemployed couple who have no children. The rent is £900 per month which is paid by housing benefit. I was shocked at this for two reasons.

1. Why would the benefits office pay for such an expensive flat from a private landlord?
   
   
2. Shouldn't they just pay for accommodation commensurate with circumstances and need? i.e. shouldn't they question why an unemployed couple are renting an expensive 3 bed flat?
   
   I do not know how the benefit system works but I would have thought they would assess need and whether the accomodation was value for money.
   
   There are many working couples, students etc who have to get by with much smaller accommodation and receive no help with their rent/mortgage.

[MamaG]

I thought that Housing office would loko at the needs of the couple/person/family and pay what was fair?

I know an old couple who are on disability benefits who rent a 4 bedroomed MASSIVE barn conversion. The Housing pay a certain amoutn, what they'd pay for a smaller house nad htey have to pay the rst.

[MellowMa]

Message withdrawn

[newlifenewname]

They do pay according to need and according to a local reference rate.

I lived in a tiny 3 bed bungalow in a good LOndon subub that was £1200 a month. $900 is not a lot in London at ALL!

If you have more beds than you need then they drop the benefit proportionately.

Would be worth lookign at why landlords feel they can make so much money on shitty little poperties though!