Affordability

Housing Benefit affected if any member of the household is outside NI

10 November 2017

In January 2017 the temporary absence rules for Housing Benefit changed. Since then, there has been a four-week limit placed on absences outside Northern Ireland. If a person is absent from Northern Ireland for more than four weeks, that person is no longer entitled to receive Housing Benefit, unless the absence is for specific reasons.

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Benefits, Welfare Reform, Affordability

Conversion of Support for Mortgage Interest to a loan

13 October 2017

Regulations converting Support for Mortgage Interest to a loan have recently been passed. We take a look at how the new payments of SMI will operate for claimants.

Loans for mortgage interest

All payments of SMI made on or after 6th April 2018 will take the form of a loan.

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Benefits, Repossession, Welfare Reform, Affordability

Average rent price in NI increases at double the UK rate

10 October 2017

According to HomeLet rental index for September 2017, the average rents in Northern Ireland have increased at double the UK rate over the past 12 months.

The survey shows the average rent in Northern Ireland in September 2017 rose 4.3% to £636, from £610 in September 2016.

Housing Rights Policy and Practice Officer, Sarah Corrigan, is concerned by the news.

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Research, Private Tenancies, Affordability

Housing solutions for vulnerable young people

10 October 2017

Homelessness is experienced differently by young people than by adults: the causes and conditions are different, so the responses and solutions must also be different.

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Minority Groups, Research, Homelessness, Affordability

Housing Rights joins call for urgent review of the rollout of Universal Credit in NI

26 September 2017

Housing Rights, together with NIFHA, the Council for Homelessness in NI, Shelter NI, the Chartered Institute of Housing, the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, Advice NI and Supporting Communities NI, is calling for the rollout of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland to be urgently reviewed to prevent issues that have arisen in England, Scotland and Wales being repeated in Northern Ireland.

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Benefits, Welfare Reform, Policy, Affordability

Concerns about how Universal Credit deals with changes of circumstances

22 September 2017

Elements of Universal Credit will pose significant challenges for claimants, advisers and landlords. Housing Rights has particular concerns about how Universal Credit deals with changes of circumstance, particularly in respect of tenants who move home during an assessment period. Changes of circumstances are backdated to the beginning of the assessment period in which the change happened.

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Benefits, Money Matters, Welfare Reform, Policy, Affordability

What is Support for Mortgage Interest?

13 June 2017

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) is the collective name given to the financial help with mortgage interest payments which can be made to certain benefit claimants. SMI can also help with the costs of certain loans secured on a property.

SMI can be claimed by people who are in receipt of

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Benefits, Repossession, Welfare Reform, Affordability

Future changes to Support for Mortgage Interest

9 June 2017

On 18th June, the rate of Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) will fall from 3.12% to 2.61%. This could have significant impacts on the ability of SMI recipients to stay in their homes.

However, this isn’t the only change on the way for Support for Mortgage Interest. Over the next few years there will be more changes that will further restrict and alter this benefit.

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Benefits, Welfare Reform, Affordability

Regulations extend two-child limit to Housing Benefit in Northern Ireland

25 April 2017

Recent legislation limited Child Tax Credit for households with more than two children, where one or more of these children has been born on or after 6th April 2017. This means that a family with three children, where two of the three were born before 6th April 2017, and one child was born after this date, will only receive tax credits in respect of the oldest two children.