“Affordable” rent gives social landlords the financial incentive to evict the bedroom tax tenant
“Have you ever wondered why social landlords have not stood four square behind the social tenant in the bedroom tax? Could it be the governments ‘affordable’ (sic) rent programme gives social landlords a strong financial incentive to evict the bedroom tax tenant?” Joe Halewood explains why social landlords benefit from the bedroom tax but taxpayers don’t.
Bedroom tax for inept ‘social’ landlords is change quickly or die
“…(the) speed of the welfare reforms will see the social housing model I have known for the past 20 years, the model …will disappear because of the inept indifference of the alleged sector and their inability to respond to change and challenge.” Joe Halewood argues that social landlords need to change or die.
Labour to scrap the bedroom tax – a huge political mistake and huge opportunity missed
“The Labour Party has vowed to scrap the bedroom tax. They have finally said it after so long. A cause for celebration you would think but as usual the Labour Party makes a pig’s ear of it.” Joe Halewood questions the Labour Party’s approach to scrapping the bedroom tax.
Every local council got every bedroom tax decision legally and badly wrong
“Everyone of the 660,000 bedroom tax decisions was legally flawed. Everyone of the 660.000 bedroom tax victims should appeal the decision. EVERY council got the bedroom tax decisions wrong.” Joe Halewood argues that bedroom tax decisions made by local authorities are flawed because they have not taken into consideration room size.
1 million UK working families now NEED to claim housing benefit
“Over a million jobs in Britain are only affordable because housing benefit is claimed or put another way without housing benefit employers in the UK would struggle to fill 1 million jobs.” Joe Halewood of SPeye looks at the recent dramatic rise in the number of working families who are now claiming housing benefit.
The bedroom tax DHP – the catastrophic and unseen effect on social housing
The myths of the discretionary housing payment, the DHP, has never been fully considered yet it needs to have far more consideration by the tenant, the landlord (social and private) and local councils. To not look at DHPs is a huge mistake for all of these actors or stakeholders. The coalition have been saying to […]
How to get rid of the bedroom tax overnight
The bedroom tax according to the coalition is treating the social tenant the same as the private tenant for housing benefit purposes. So let’s do precisely that and abracadabra the bedroom tax is history! To explain: social landlords simply rent their social properties through their private arms and their private companies as landlords and this […]
You thought the bedroom tax was bad! The much worse benefit cap starts in 4 weeks!!
“It is a stupid and reckless policy based on political dogma with no economic rationale at all.” Joe Halewood explains why the overall benefit cap will actually cost the taxpayer more and should be abandoned.
Bedroom Tax arrears – huge and why social landlords need a major rethink
The bedroom tax is in its 11th week and social housing is already in chaos. It doesn’t augur well for social housing in its entirety and that is not hyperbole or exaggeration. The scale of the non-payment and part-payments of the tenant rent shortfall the bedroom tax creates is giving shockwaves in the boardroom of every […]
Bedroom Tax – council legal fictions to cover up their incompetence
“While councils believe it is up to the landlord to define a bedroom then such perversities will abound and these legal fictions continue.” Joe Halewood challenges the ‘legal fiction’ that some councils are hiding behind when it comes to the bedroom tax.
Bedroom tax and the significant ‘tenant power bloc’ that’s forming – landlords and IDS beware!
The level of anger and fight the tenant and activist has put against at the bedroom tax policy has surprised me. Tenants have been mobilised into huge numbers and quickly aided largely by social media. The first indications of non-payment and part-payment of the bedroom tax shortfalls are way above expected with Riverside stating 50% non-payment and […]
Welfare reform - the tenants own October Revolution
Forget the bedroom tax, the biggest impact of the welfare reforms on social housing has had very little discussion at all and this is direct payments of Housing Benefit to the social tenant. Direct payment due October 2013 is one of the welfare reform policies and it fundamentally changes the control dynamic in the social landlord:social […]
How to take 660,000 social tenants out of the bedroom tax
Dear Social Landlord, I have turned overnight into an arch capitalist and here I show you how to (a) increase your rent roll, (b) take all tenants out of the bedroom tax and (c) severely f*ck over the coalition government. The answer is very simple. I will lease all your properties with a HB claiming […]
The bedroom tax – why to and how to appeal
I believe every tenant should make a formal appeal against the bedroom tax decision and I also believe every tenant has just cause to appeal. If a tenant appeals they have SOME hope. If the tenant doesn’t they have NONE. Advocating tenants appeal is not giving false hope as it is their ONLY hope. Other reasons […]
So much sh*te is talked about the bedroom tax
In January the National Housing Federation released a report to say 57% of social tenants had not heard of the bedroom tax. Just 3 months on we appear to have 60 million UK experts on it after awareness has been raised through all forms of the media (TV, radio, papers, social etc.) and its the […]
Bedroom tax – the tale of identical twins and Tories, Sheila and Patricia
Imagine a set of identical twins in Liverpool who would ordinarily be celebrating the “Big five-0” on Wednesday having been born with minutes of each other on April 3 1963. They not only still look the same their lives have been the same in almost every aspect. They married a pair of identical brothers at […]
Bedroom Tax – ONLY the tenant can get rid of it and here’s how!
Dear Social Tenant, The bedroom tax is wrong and nasty, it is pernicious. On a personal level my heart bleeds for you and I am behind you 100%. Yet on a professional level I want to slap your face and tell you to stop moaning and see the wood from the trees. If you do you will […]
No ‘spare’ bedroom for a non-resident overnight disabled carer
Oh what a tangled WEBB we weave, when first we practice to deceive! Hansard last night records the following transcript in which Steve Webb the junior minister at the DWP is speaking in an adjournment debate over the bedroom charge (aka bedroom tax, under occupation charge, spare room subsidy) and is asked to give way… “No. I […]
Bedroom Tax – WHY and HOW all tenants should appeal and the impact!
“So come on people get circulating good quality sample letters of challenge and appeal and let’s get rid of this nasty pernicious drawn-up on the back of a fag packet bedroom tax policy.” Joe Halewood calls for support to challenge the Bedroom Tax.
The Bedroom Tax – what I KNOW and what WE can DO?
I KNOW the bedroom tax: Pisses me off I’m sick of writing about the bloody thing I’m determined to do all I can with whatever lawful methods to get rid of it I KNOW many share the same yet I also know there are now 60m UK experts as everyone is talking about it despite […]