Even #renters who work should be worried about #HousingBenefit changes - lose your job, #benefit changes mean your home is no longer safe. The social safety net is disappearing Research by Shelter found that a quarter of UK #workers responding to its survey had no savings at all and would immediately find themselves struggling to keep up with housing costs if they lost their job. If someone loses their job and needs support – as millions every year do – their home is no longer safe. For #tenants in the private rented sector, housing benefit provides money to help cover the rent. There is another change coming too. At the moment the housing benefit caps only affect those making a new claim after 13 weeks. This means that when someone loses their job they still have that period of security in which to find a new job before worrying about finding a new home. But under 10 Downing Streets new benefits system, #UniversalCredit, this grace period will be withdrawn – and with many tenants having no significant savings, many would instantly find themselves struggling to pay rent. This is just one of a number of recent changes to housing benefit that could affect private renters. The national housing #BenefitCap all but excludes claimants from much of inner London and failing to link increases in housing benefit with increases in local rent prices mean that, over time, fewer and fewer properties will be available.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 13:22:13 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015