Housing benefit reforms: impacts on social housing tenants

Lizzie Clifford, Policy and Research Assistant, National Housing Federation

Housing Benefit reform and social tenants

The context for social housing

Under-occupation penalty

• HB for working-age families to reflect household size

in social sector

• Affects existing tenants, particularly empty-nesters – average loss £13 per week

• Hits 670,000 households in Great Britain; 50,000 in SE

• Impractical and won’t solve overcrowding

• Penalty will affect 450,000 disabled people and 108,000 properties adapted for tenants with disabilities

Total benefits cap

• Benefits capped at average take-home pay for working-age families (£26,000 for family, £18,200 for single person)

• Due to hit 50,000 households, losing average £93/week

• Will bite for large families, high value areas, many near-market rents

• Threatens future development of family-sized

homes, particularly in higher-value areas

Universal Credit

•Single streamlined payment

•Potential threat to HB direct to landlords

•Problem for unbanked claimants

– 13-15% of social tenants unbanked

•Sanctions may reduce ability to pay

rent leading to arrears and homelessness

Other pressures

• Increased non-dependent deductions

• LHA changes leading to more demand for social

housing and less available move-on

accommodation for people in supported housing

• DLA reform – fewer people will be eligible for

new PIP and loss of mobility payments for care

home residents

• Abolition of Social Fund

What are housing associations doing to prepare?

• Welfare to work programmes

• Financial inclusion initiatives

• Tenant profiling

• Targeted housing management

• Mobility/transfers

Contact

Lizzie Clifford

National Housing Federation

020 7067 1074

Lizzie.clifford@housing.org.uk