Private landlords to lower rents

Welfare reform calendar 2011 – 2013

The Welfare Reform Bill is about to receive royal assent and will radically alter the benefits system. Now the government has beaten the Lords, Carl Brown explains why it is important that landlords prepare for the changes

Action stations

Imagine receiving a letter telling you that you will have to pay a £670 penalty every year - simply because you have a spare room in the home you’ve lived in for years.

At crisis point

As waiting lists get longer, councils are increasingly dependent on emergency accommodation to house people. But as one tenant tells Carl Brown, life can be hell for the residents.

Private landlords plan to snub tenants on benefits

One in four private landlords are looking to reduce the number of tenants claiming local housing allowance in their portfolios, following welfare reforms.

Struggles ahead

Going spare

The government’s contentious ‘bedroom tax’ on under-occupying tenants is set to become law this month. Alex Turner looks at the disproportionate effect it’s likely to have in the north

Open-door policy

Allowing private landlords to validate local housing allowance claims can help councils simplify their procedures and cut their housing waiting lists. Neil Merrick heads to Derbyshire to find out how

Casting the net for a home

A website aimed solely at local housing allowance claimants is helping people find homes. Lydia Stockdale logs on

From riches to rags and back

A Welsh landlord took on an ambitious project to refurbish a derelict Grade II listed mansion. Katie Puckett finds out how they managed to bring it back into use

Dressed for success

Birmingham’s Forgotten Vintage is much more than just a second-hand fashion store. Laura Jane Johnson reveals how it is helping the city’s homeless