News

Record drop of empty homes in England

The number of empty homes in England fell by the biggest ever annual drop in 2013 to 635,127, research has found.

According to today’s figures compiled by campaigning charity Empty Homes, the amount of empty homes in England decreased by 75,000 to 635,127 in 2013 – the lowest level ever recorded. 

Hundreds of housing association tenants escape welfare reform

Hundreds of tenants have escaped the impact of welfare reform, but their housing association landlord warns the real problem may be how tenants are paying.

Mark Rogers, chief executive of Circle Housing, said 20 per cent of its tenants who were hit by the bedroom tax, and 40 per cent of those hit by the overall benefit cap, were no longer affected by the changes. 

Landlords set to lose out for blacklisting tenants

Local Housing Allowance rates – the allowances paid to people claiming housing benefits - which will take effect from April this year have been published by the Department for Work and Pensions.

And a number of the 16 categories for shared bedroom and one, two and three bedroom properties have gone up - prompting criticism of landlords who "jumped the gun" and banned applicants on housing benefit. 

Bedroom tax 'helping to end child poverty'

The bedroom tax is helping to reduce child deprivation, ministers have claimed.

A new draft child poverty strategy for 2014 to 2017, which was launched by work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith and education minister David Laws yesterday, lists the ‘removal of the spare room subsidy’ as one of the measures that is helping to improve the living standards of low-income families. 

DWP: Housing benefit will be sanctioned

Part-time workers judged to be doing too little to find full-time work face having their benefit for housing costs sanctioned by the government for the first time under universal credit.

Under the present system housing benefit is paid direct to landlords and sanctions can only be applied to out-of-work benefits, such as jobseeker’s allowance or employment support allowance. 

London rent soars, arrears down says latest index

The average rental income for a landlord in London has reached an extraordinary £38,000 per year with a yield of an equally amazing 14.6 per cent, according to research from LSL Property Services.

These figures dwarf typical incomes for landlords in every other region of the UK in LSL's latest Buy To let index which shows - outside of the capital - very mixed results. 

100's of London jobseekers sanctioned daily

A daily average of 356 Londoners claiming Jobseeker's Allowance saw their benefits sanctioned in the year to September 2013, government figures have revealed.

The statistics, compiled by London Assembly Green Party member Jenny Jones, reveal that twice as many were sanctioned last year than in mayor Boris Johnson's first year in office. 

Iain Duncan Smith hails housing benefit reform as more seek work

Tens of thousands of people claiming housing benefit have been forced to “take action” and find work or move to a smaller home because of the so-called “bedroom tax”, Iain Duncan Smith has said.

Figures released by the Government show a 9 per cent fall in the number of housing benefit claimants facing a reduction in their housing benefit due to the removal of the spare room subsidy. 

Debt and eviction fears over bedroom tax

Two thirds of households affected by the bedroom tax cannot find money to pay their rents, according to the National Housing Federation.

A survey of 183 housing associations carried out for the Federation found that 66% of their residents hit by the bedroom tax are in rent arrears, with more than a third (38%) reported to be in debt because they were unable to pay the bedroom tax. 

Bedroom tax: Two thirds of affected households now in rent arrears

Two thirds of households hit by the bedroom tax have fallen into rent arrears, according to new research published today.

An Ipsos MORI survey of 183 housing associations carried out for the National Housing Federation found that 66% of their residents affected by the controversial policy are struggling to pay their rent, with more than a third (38%) reported to be in debt because they were unable to pay the bedroom tax. 

Scrapping housing benefit for under 25s will only feed youth homelessness

The coalition’s policies aimed at cutting the social security bill have so far fallen disproportionately on the youth demographic (and disabled people), despite older people receiving 47 per cent of UK welfare spending through state pensions. 

Scrapping housing benefit for under-25s is one key policy announced at the Conservative party conference last year. The Conservatives seem determined to cut the benefits bill for the 1.1 million young people aged 16-24 who are out of work, despite the lack of jobs for them to go into. 

Housing benefit changes 'unworkable'

Two-thirds - 66% - of social sector tenants affected by benefit cuts for those with extra bedrooms were behind with rent after six months, a National Housing Federation survey suggests.

And it said 38% were in debt because of the "unfair, unworkable" policy change - dubbed the "bedroom tax" by critics.