Under Occupation
- Is your home too big for you?
- Are you spending money on heating a large house you do not need?
- Would you like to move to a new home?
We want to help council tenants living in large properties move to more suitably sized homes. In order to do this we offer financial incentives to move, and a dedicated council officer will make sure that you get help and support throughout. We can also advise you about alternative options such as:
- Seaside and Country Homes (external link), for applicants aged 60 and over,
- HomeSwapper (external link), the national mutual exchange website, or
- Homefinder UK (external link), another national housing mobility scheme that offers housing opportunities to social tenants.
Please note: tenants who move as result of Grant of Tenancy will not receive an incentive payment or help with moving.
We can also give you information about the council’s Community Good Neighbour and Sheltered Housing Schemes for the over 50’s.
For more information please contact the Under Occupation Adviser on 020 8489 4771.
You can also visit the Mutual exchange web page.
Benefits changes
Changes to Housing Benefit affecting under occupation tenants
From April 2013, Housing Benefit is restricted to only allow payments for:
- Each adult couple
- Any other person aged 16 and over
- Two children of the same sex under the age of 16
- Two children regardless of sex under the age of 10
- Any other child
- A carer, or one of a team of carers, who has a home elsewhere, who uses a spare bedroom on a regular basis to stay overnight because the claimant or their partner requires overnight care
Housing Benefit reductions for working age social housing tenants who are under-occupying their home
Reductions available:
- 14% of housing benefit eligible rent if they are under occupying by one bedroom
- 25% of housing benefit eligible rent if they are under occupying by two or more bedrooms
The changes will not affect the following:
- Those over state pension credit age
- Those in shared ownership schemes
- Those in sheltered or supported social housing who have support services
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Money to Move - leaflet | 363.68 KB |