Conservatives to make under 35s live in tiny rooms in shared houses (HMOs)

[chem1st]

They're somewhat different from shared houses. Main difference is that if you, me, chem1st and mel went to live together in a house and we signed the same contract we'd be in a shared house, if we all had seperate contracts we'd be residents of a Himo

 

Now you don't need planning permission to convert a house into a HMO there is potential to fraudulently claim housing benefit much more easily

[discodown]

So for the purposes of the council if 4 people jointly rent a house would they work on £65 per person per week or the 4 room rate shared between them all?

Depends on the people but in general each would be allocated the shared room rate whether it was a HiMO or not

[chem1st]

So for the purposes of the council if 4 people jointly rent a house would they work on £65 per person per week or the 4 room rate shared between them all?

 

4 Bedroom accommodation - £155.34 (£673.14)

4 bed HMO £260 +104.66pw (£1126.68 )

 

It would be 4*SSR.

 

£104.66per week more than the 4 bed rate.

 

£1126.68 a month rather than £673.14

 

HMOcial housing, resurgence of the Victorian tenement, for the under 35s at least.

[discodown]

Now you don't need planning permission to convert a house into a HMO there is potential to fraudulently claim housing benefit much more easily

I wasn't aware you ever needed planning permission.

 

HiMO is more of a council tax concept than a benefits concept anyway. Shared occupation for benefits purposes would apply to anyone of any age if they were in any kind of shared house.

[chem1st]

Depends on the people but in general each would be allocated the shared room rate whether it was a HiMO or not

 

Could an eligible person (over 35 say) be given the 1 bed rate entitlement and then choose to live in a HMO in order to pocket the £15 a week difference in rent allowance??

[TeaFan]

Aren't they actually saying "if you are single and the state pays for your accommodation then we will only pay for a room in a house shared with similar people".

 

What can be wrong with this?

 

The biggest problem with it hit me as soon as I saw this in the spending review. There are a lot of people who can't work and can't reasonably share either. I'm talking about people with mental health problems or with Autism who are capable of living by themselves but can't cope with sharing their space with others. A lot of those people need their own space, and in the case of people with Autism can't tolerate interference with their living space by others. Someone with full-on bipolar disorder is likely to struggle around flatmates unless they are particularly understanding. But now we are saying they have to live with their parents until they are 35? Really?

 

Given that the shared room rate applies only in private rented, it will just put more pressure on social housing which is already in woefully short supply.

 

Like a lot of these cuts, this just ends up being a nasty attack on ill and disabled people.

[discodown]

Could an eligible person (over 35 say) be given the 1 bed rate entitlement and then choose to live in a HMO in order to pocket the £15 a week difference in rent allowance??

It would depend on the rent. If you (currently) are over 25 and given the 1 bed allowance then move into a shared house you go onto the shared rate, if that rent was £50 then they would get the excess. The rate you get changes according to the accommodation you are in

[Rupert_Baehr]

In Sheffield we are at least lucky to have some shared accomodation available. But is there enough shared accomodation available to house those this will make homeless? Where will students live? In London realistically the only places available at the rates they have set will be in hostels and I don't think there are anywhere near enough of them either.

 

Maybe we will start to see shanty towns being built up out of corrugated iron to decorate our inner cities?

 

How will this affect students? They don't get housing benefit, do they?

[chem1st]

I wasn't aware you ever needed planning permission.

 

HiMO is more of a council tax concept than a benefits concept anyway. Shared occupation for benefits purposes would apply to anyone of any age if they were in any kind of shared house.

 

Planning permission was introduced and required in April I think. Then a couple of weeks ago the requirement was dropped for those converting a home into a HMO.

[discodown]

Planning permission was introduced and required in April I think. Then a couple of weeks ago the requirement was dropped for those converting a home into a HMO.

Not to my knowledge. Any house can be determined a HiMO it all depends on the tenancies rather than the property