Labour opposed to underoccupation cut

Social control

Bedroom tax 'defeated' in the House of Lords

The government has been defeated over controversial plans for a ‘bedroom tax’ for social housing tenants deemed to be underoccupying their homes.

Tenants face £26 a week cut for under-occupation

Social tenants on housing benefit who are deemed to be under-occupying their homes stand to lose up to £26.65 a week under government plans.

Council holds summit to tackle underoccupation

A council has launched an operation to try to reduce the number of residents on its waiting list by tackling the issue of underoccupied homes.

Northern tenants to be hit for £146m with reforms

Plans to penalise 240,000 families across the North of England for renting a home with a spare room will cost social housing tenants £146.12 million a year, the National Housing Federation has claimed.

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

Calling in the movers

The ‘bedroom tax’ is meant to encourage tenants to downsize if they are under-occupying their homes. But, especially in the north of England, social landlords say there are simply not enough smaller houses and flats to move tenants into.

The legal aid lifeline

Cuts to legal aid and new spending restrictions mean tens of thousands of tenants will no longer be eligible for free housing advice. Jess McCabe visits a law centre to investigate the likely impact of the changes

Not a sticking plaster

Efforts to tackle anti-social behaviour can seem like fire fighting. It’s expensive to take a more comprehensive and long-term approach by working with a single family to get to the root of their problems. But, as Tony Powell, executive director of neighbourhoods at New Charter Housing Trust, explains, the effect can be transformative.

Hands-on approach

A new breed of customer-focused housing officers is giving tenants a lot more satisfaction. Emily Rogers meets one of them