If you claim Housing Benefit to help pay your rent you may be affected by changes from April 2013. The changes mean that some people will get less Housing Benefit than they did before.
What is changing?
From April 2013, if you live in a Council or housing association home and you have one or more 'spare' bedrooms your Housing Benefit may be reduced.
This could affect you:
- if you are 16 to 61 years old
- even if you only get a small amount of Housing Benefit - for example, if you are working
- even if you are sick or disabled
You won't be affected if:
- you live in a one bedroom flat/house or bedsit
- you or your partner are old enough to receive pension credits. In April 2013 the pension credit age will be around 61 years and 6 months
What is a 'spare' bedroom?
Under the new rules if you have more bedrooms than the Government says you need, you will lose part of your Housing Benefit. The new rules mean you will be allocated one bedroom for:
- each adult couple
- any other person aged 16 or over
- two children of the same sex under the age of 16
- two children under the age of 10 regardless of their sex
- any other child
- a carer (who does not normally live with you) if you or your partner need overnight care.
It does not matter how the 'spare' bedroom is used, the new rules will apply even if:
- you and your partner need to sleep apart because of a medical condition
- the main residence of your children is another address, but you have a spare room for when they stay with you.
What happens if you have a 'spare' bedroom?
If you have one 'spare' bedroom your Housing Benefit will be cut by 14% of the rent you pay every week. If you have two or more spare bedrooms, you will lose 25%.
If your benefit is cut you will have to pay the difference between your Housing Benefit and your rent.
For further information please call us on 01392 265252 or download our leaflets.
Housing Benefit changes for social sector tenants [1Mb]
Frequently asked questions - Social sector size restrictions [128kb]
Factsheet - What to do if you fall into rent arrears [40kb]
Factsheet - Making a claim for DHP [41kb]
Factsheet - Renting out your spare room [41kb]
Factsheet - The effect additional income will have on Housing Benefit [36kb]
