The government’s controversial bedroom tax has failed to ease under-occupancy in the social housing sector, its main aim, a report has revealed.
The 'Here and There: One year of the Bedroom Tax' report, composed by six housing associations, is the first to analyse a complete year’s data on the impact the under-occupancy policy has had on tenants.
Ministers’ attempts to slash fraud and error in the benefits system could be undermined because of uncertainty over how the housing element of universal credit will work, MPs have warned.
The work and pensions select committee said in a report today it was unclear how officials would be able to cross-check universal credit claims against other information to prevent benefit fraud and error.
Letting agents will be required to publish full details of the fees they charge, under plans announced by the government today.
Ministers have said that the move will ensure a fair deal for landlords and tenants, and will prevent a "small minority" of rogue agents from imposing unreasonable, hidden charges.
The National Landlords Association has responded to the Labour party’s proposals for the private rented sector, branding them “poorly thought through and completely unworkable”.
Ed Miliband announced last week that three-year tenancies would become the norm if Labour came to power, rents would be controlled, and letting agent fees to tenants would be banned.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has announced plans for sweeping reforms of the private rented sector, including actual price controls, which the party says "will help millions of households caught in the cost-of-living crisis".
Speaking in Redbridge, London, at the party's campaign launch for local and European elections on 22 May, Miliband set out detailed plans for three-year tenancies and setting rents which preventexcessive rises.
Some working people are losing 97p of every £1 earned after being hit by a combination of welfare cuts, a committee of MPs has found.
The public accounts committee warned today that cuts to council tax benefit means ‘work does not pay’ for those worse affected by the reforms.
David Cameron may be forced to rethink his plan to deny under-25s an automatic right to state benefits because many of the people losing out would be single parents.
Nick Clegg is worried that parents could be affected by proposals to restrict housing benefit for the more than one million “Neets” – young people not in education, employment or training – under a strategy announced by the Prime Minister at last week’s Conservative Party Conference.
A London local authority will pay up to half a million pounds to families it housed in bed and breakfasts for more than six weeks following an official inquiry.
A report by the Local Government Ombudsman published today found the local authority’s actions were unjust after it housed homeless families in B&Bs beyond six-weeks.
More than 50,000 people affected by the so-called bedroom tax have fallen behind on rent and face eviction.
The statistics reveal the scale of debt created by the Government’s under-occupancy charge, as one council house tenant in three has been pushed into rent arrears since it was introduced in April.
More than half of families hit by the government's controversial bedroom tax have been pushed into debt, new research has revealed.
A survey of 51 English housing associations by the National Housing Federation (NHF), found that 51% (32,432) of residents affected by the widely condemned under-occupancy policy have been unable to pay their rent between April and June.