Hello reader, did you know the DWP OFFICIALLY allow the bedroom tax tenant to have a study or utility room or play room or any other room? Â They do.
So why does your LOCAL council assume that every room that COULD BE a bedroom IS a bedroom? Well because they are numpties is the only answer.
You will want proof dear reader that the DWP OFFICIALLY allow you to have a play room or a study or utility room? Â Oh ok I will keep you no longer.
Go online and look at a JSA claim online and after you have put in details of your last job etc it then asks about your property. Â After asking how many bedrooms the online JSA form (and yes its the same DWP) goes on to ask “How many OTHER rooms do you have?”
You then click on a button to see what DWP mean by OTHER rooms and it says: –
e.g. study, utility room, play room. Don’t include other rooms or flats in the building that you don’t rent
So when your LOCAL council says it if CAN BE a bedroom then it IS a bedroom as the DWP says so then your local council is talking through their hat aren’t they?
GET APPEALING PEOPLE AND DO IT NOW BEFORE THE 13 MONTH DEADLINE EXPIRES.
Here is the link to my idiots guide to appealing complete with the official form – so simple even a HB officer could fill one in!!
Wonder how many more landlords will now be supporting their tenants to appeal on room usage and room purpose? Â In my own neck of the woods we have seen Cobalt issue a set of 5 or 6 standard letters and then Liverpool Mutual Homes issue an appeal template (and doing two evening surgeries too though it looks like one offs) and they both follow the excellent example of Coast & Country Housing Association in the North East of a few weeks ago.
Is your landlord supporting you to appeal reader? Â If not ask they why not..I mean what have they got to lose? Â In fact nothing as I know of no appeal win which has reduced the rent level and in all cases the tenant and landlord get more in HB – Yes everyone wins including the local council who see more money stay in the local economy.
Still reader, isn’t it nice to know the DWP allow tenants to have play rooms in their properties…a thriving industry going on in voodoo IDS dolls I hear and only today we have Tory Lords saying the bedroom tax is a job creation initiative which sees a claimed ‘loophole’ for tenants to class an alleged bedroom as an office / workroom.
Well ta ta for now reader I’m off to draft some standard appeal paragraphs for appeal submissions that the formerly thought to be bedroom is in fact a voodoo doll making room and combined home office.
SPeye Joe (Welfarewrites) 
Brilliant!!! My LA are pondering my appeal at the moment ( I put ‘study’ as one ground of appeal last May, they’ve STILL not sent it to the Tribunal service. Trafford Council I am publicly shaming you) This new information will strengthen my, and many others’ cases. Good work Joe.
Reblogged this on Vox Political.
Joe just wondering if you can answer me a question about private tenants.If someone over 35 years lives in a shared house by that i mean has their own bedroom but shares kitchen, bathroom living room not related to other tenants . do they only get the shared house rate of LHA .I know someone who is only getting about £55 a week to pay a rent of £70 and is a carer getting carers allowance and a bit of income support.
Lesley Edwards
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 22:49:52 +0000 To: lesleyt2008@hotmail.com
Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog.
We could do with a copy of the online JSA form, to send to our councils as part of our appeals??
were do we get them form as i work full time and been told that when they move me it will been in to a 2 bed room house and i live in a 3 bedroom flat so they can jump as i now know
this they can rethink they stance
My local council won’t even pay my rent for one bedroom even though I can’t get anywhere cheaper in this area. They are trying to force me into social housing even though there is not enough. I don’t want to live in a ghetto that my friends have had to move out of becauise of the behaviour of other tenants.
Ah if only it was that easy, some of us have had a year plus long fight and are STILL fighting and still getting nowhere ??? is it just likevall benefit matters where it’s the luck of the draw ??. and my numbers just not come up yet as I have done all and more than some have done, yet 11 months and NO joy, NO exemption, and certainly NO answers yet!! my only other theory is IF like me you have had FULL DHP paid since the start of BT covering the entire BT cost then your not very likely to gain exemption? could that be it? as my LA have heavily suggested I reapply for DHP ?? does this actually mean in real terms that they have decided that DHP payments are acceptable and lawful on my account and as such will remain so and thus allow continued payments effectively taking me completely out of BT liability anyway thus NO exemption is required could that be the answer? for all in my situation or similar ones where the LAs followed Gov guidance and paid out on the fact I/we live in heavily adapted homes that could NOT be replecated?? just a thought any one got any comments on this ??
@ Dougie – As far as I know, your appeal is decided independently of whether you have received or will receive DHP. I have not received an answer to my formal appeal yet, but I did eventually receive a reply to my letter to my housing association asking that they support and encourage us in our appeals. Their reply was that they have done everything they could regarding getting people DHP etc, and they also send me a separate form authorising them (the housing association) to apply for DHP on my behalf, which I was previously unaware could be done. Since the latter form only required my signature and not the endless questions on the DHP form itself I signed it. The housing association already know that I have made no application to downsize and have no intention to do so as I stated that fact most strongly and repeatedly to them.
@ No Spare Rooms
Yip many thanks for that, it seems that yet again their is far to much conflicting information thats still as it was from the very start, rubbing tenants up the wrong way as well as causing havoc to the great and good trying to help, it’s all very well having “some” exceptions BUT as even in these there is NO comparisons really as few have been won on the same reasons or information supplied, which yet again throws most, I as i say have followed this subject as aN group Admin & affected tenant likewise which one would think would make life easier only it doesn’t sadly, it’s brewing up yet again and then with the news of later that its now an offense to protest, filling many with horror at just how much they can push us, and what’s the outcome if this is one push to far, all I am really happy about is that I live in rural Scotland 75-100 mls from my nearest large town thus should be relatively safe IF it goes to riots, which much as I have been 1000% against am starting to see why this may be an option to some.
Time will tell, I’m like you awaiting news from my LA other than another? DHP form a few days ago, I’ve heard nothing in a little over six weeks now and counting down until April as well rather more worrying.
On one of my groups a staggering 65% (who answered one of the groups polls) had NOT had any help, to appeal, to downsize nor to claim DHP from their respective LAs now this is ALL over the country which is NOT acceptable, I duly await a response from them.
🙂
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-26558536
Some councils are challenging government policy on ‘affordable’ rent
It’s always been the case of you can apply for a DHP. As well as put in a BT appeal for exemption.
Have now seen a copy of form HCTB1
Which clearly asks ‘about rooms’ NOT, Bedrooms.
Could you please explain your abbreviations. What is a DHP?
@ Tiggy – DHP is Discretionary Housing Payment.
@ Debbie.
I wonder if any other DW/ Council forms mention ‘other uses’?
Funnily enough, form HCTB1 doesn’t ask you to report changes in your room usage (on ‘Changes you must tell your local council about’ on P.6 of the form.
That should read:
*DWP / Council
They can Tell us The Economy is picking up and produce figures in 3 month intervals,they can tell us how much Osbourne has borrowed to help the economy
they can tell us the jobless figures are going up or down in 3 month intervals,yet they cant tell us how much they have saved in Bedroom Tax over the past 12 months…..
I WONDER WHY
Hi, I am about to challenge the bedroom tax decision,where do i find the list of room designations please?
Go and have a look on Nearly Legal. You will find Tribunal wins, listed on there……