Hi has anyone on here been affected by this dreadful tax? I am so upset I go to bed thinking about it and its the first thing on my mind when I wake up. My husband has primary progressive ms and we have a 4/5 bedroomed house fully adapted downstairs wet room n bedroom. Applied for discretionary housing payment. This was refused because dla taken as an income I have appealed n three weeks down the line till waiting. I can no longer afford to have the car jet washed windows cleaned or the garden done. I have to do this all on my own. My eldest children have moved out and working away, my daughter is five months pregnant with her own home ( she does as much as she can with a two year old as well) he hubby is self employed working every hour he can and my youngest lad(11) does what he can. Sorry for the whinging but really not coping with this as well as seeing my hubby get worse day by day.
I didn’t think that DLA could be counted as income as it is a non-means-tested income. That’s diabolical! And surely illegal? (Interesting article here: http://falseeconomy.org.uk/blog/the-high-court-and-the-future-of-the-bedroom-tax)
Could you use one of your spare rooms for a lodger? It may not be the ideal solution for you, but it might help to pay the rent (but be careful as I think it will be counted as a source of income).
Sorry I can’t offer any decent help or advice 
Karen x
Just a follow-on from Karen’s idea of a lodger …
I seem to recall that there is a limit of around £3000 p/a below which income from letting a room is tax free.
Could be worth checking it out.
Geoff
Fight your corner, get hold of your local MP and the press if necessary (Patrick Hogan at The Guardian is good) there is precedent for U Turns - Partial U-turn over bedroom tax announced by Iain Duncan Smith | Social housing | The Guardian Good luck, hate the disabledist (is there such a term?) policies of this shower of sh!te unelected government… X
Discretionary Housing Payments are very much at the discretion of the council.
Just to explain as readers may not be aware – each council has a pot of money that they can award to tenants who are having difficulty paying their rent. This may be tenants who get HB but are subject to the bedroom tax and can’t make up the shortfall, advance rent or deposits, rent arrears etc.
The council may take all sorts of income into consideration when making a decision, including DLA. It’s not like HB which is subject to statute. There is no right of appeal to tribunal but you can ask the council to look again if the decision was not in your favour.
Cases are due to hit the courts later this month where claimants feel that the bedroom tax is discriminatory to disabled tenants.
1 extra bedroom will reduce HB by 14% and 2 extra by 20%.
One extra bedroom may be ignored if it is for the use of an overnight carer.
I have no useful suggestions. Have you tried for a smaller property? I know it’s dreadful when you have adaptations. (Personally I think that should be enough to exempt from the tax but hey ho) The council would surly help to find you a suitable, smaller home. (Or am I being naive)
I think this is the perfect case for MP involvement. If you have a tory MP it’s good that they see how this is affecting deserving people – if labor it will be grist to the mill.
Jane
Hi, did you get a DFG to put the downstairs wet room in? Thing is when I have had DFG`s, I was told that if I move within 10 years, I have to repay the grant.
Now obviously if you did get a DFG and the council are charging you extra for the unused bedooms, or saying you should move to a smaller property, how can they expect you to re-pay thegrant and then apply for another if the next property needs adapting.
In short, it`s a total nightmare.
luv Pollx
get a hold of your MP , coucillor, local paper
ive been hit by the bedroom tax, ive asked the council to move me to a smaller flat, they refused as i have a cat that they gave me permission for in the first place because of my mental health probems, so they have used that against me, so far ive refused to pay it
Thanks for the replies. I have wrote to local councillor and local mp both came back quoting how cuts were necessary. I would not take in a lodger as I have an 11 year old who would be sleeping upstairs with a stranger up there no way. Moving maybe if there was anywhere available in this area. Not moving my son out of his secondary school. I am paying at the moment, just about affording £25 per week which is 25 % of my rent. It can’t go on like this praying it will be abolished.
Thanks for the replies. I have wrote to local councillor and local mp both came back quoting how cuts were necessary. I would not take in a lodger as I have an 11 year old who would be sleeping upstairs with a stranger up there no way. Moving maybe if there was anywhere available in this area. Not moving my son out of his secondary school. I am paying at the moment, just about affording £25 per week which is 25 % of my rent. It can’t go on like this praying it will be abolished.
I was so sorry to read this, I do hope you get help from somewhere, others have given you good advice on where to go, it might be worth getting in touch with the opposition to your MP, whoever that may be.
Just want to show my support and tell you not to give up.
Wendy x
support from myself also and don’t give up
this is just a newer version of poll tax
hopefully next election people will see sense and not vote the tories back in
labour we’re bad…but not as bad as middle class tories