discussion forum

Apologies if this has been asked before - when the size criteria start to be applied in social housing will the 4 bed limit apply?

Oh dear. Thanks though

A four-bedroom max restriction has not been announced…...............yet?

For people of working age and renting from the social rented sector, HB may be restricted if they have more bedrooms than they need for the size of their household.  “A percentage reduction will be made based on the numbers of
extra bedrooms, which will be prescribed in secondary legislation”.  In December 2011 the government announced the following rent reduction rates for social housing.  Rent liability for HB purposes will be reduced by 14 per cent for one spare bedroom and 25 per cent for two or more spare bedrooms.

I found the National Housing Federation briefing on the size critera useful

http://www.housing.org.uk/publications/find_a_publication/legislation/welfare_reform_act_2012.aspx

Jane

The draft regs published for the HB amendments do not mention a four bedroom maximum, but the draft Universal Credit housing element regs do state that no household will be entitled to more than four bedrooms.

So if the HB regs go through unchanged, there will be some delay before its implemented, but it looks like it will come in after October 2013.

The September draft regs said a few other things worth mentioning.

“We are considering the extent to which the size criteria, used to determine amounts in both the private and social-sector approaches, should include members of the household only or the wider category of those occupying the accommodation more generally”.  That could make a huge difference to families with non-deps and, depending on what they mean by ‘accommodation’, multiple households such as separated couples.

The drafts also don’t give 16 year old children the right to their own room.