INTRODUCTION OF ‘BEDROOM TAX’ MEANS ONE IN THREE FALL BEHIND ON MONTHLY RENT

Since the introduction of the new housing benefit called ‘bedroom tax’, one in three council tenants have been left unable to meet their monthly rent payments. Data has revealed that since the policy took affect back in April 2013, 50,000 tenants had fallen into arrears with their rent. The move critics are calling the ‘bedroom tax’ has meant that housing benefits have been cut to tenants living in a council or housing association property deemed to have extra bedroom they did not need. In other words, the government have not actually introduced a new law, just revised the current one to make sure tenants are not receiving money for a room they do not use. However, results have shown these 50,000 tenants were not in arrears prior to the new revised law. The National Housing Federation have looked into the amount of tenants that are now in arrears, their results showed a quarter of households affected by the cut have fallen behind in their rent for the first time ever – 11,000 out of 44,000 households were in arrears according to data given by 38 of England’s housing associations. If this cut has affected you, or you are struggling to…