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028 9024 5640: Housing & Debt Helpline for Northern Ireland

Benefits

Can landlords lawfully turn away tenants on housing benefit?

19 November 2014

UPDATE: Two courts in England have now ruled that an agent's refusal to allow an applicant to view a property because the applicant was in receipt of benefits was unlawful and indirectly discriminated against the applicant on grounds of gender and discrimination.  Read more about this case on Shelter's website.

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Benefits, Money Matters, Private Tenancies, Landlord

Social Security legislation update

11 November 2014

Housing and welfare practitioners should note the following changes to social security legislation and update their resources accordingly. 

Habitual residence

There have been many recent changes to the rules around habitual residence recently.  Currently, only people who have been living in the Common Travel Area for at least 3 months can make a claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)

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Benefits, Minority Groups, Welfare Reform, Legal

New plans to alleviate impact of welfare reform

21 October 2014

The DUP has proposed a new fund to help those transitioning from Disability Living Allowance on to the new Personal Independence Payment.  

First Minister Peter Robinson has put the party’s proposals to Secretary of State Teresa Villiers.   Mr Robinson believes that these measures will mean many of the most vulnerable people in Northern Ireland will “come out of the transfer to PIP with the same level of payments or better off."

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Benefits, Welfare Reform, Policy, NI Assembly

Group recommends review of Shared Accommodation Rate

15 October 2014

The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Private Rented Sector has published a report, funded by the Residential Landlords Association, which recommends a full review into the operation of the Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR).  

Limitations of shared housing

The report contains a number of interesting findings;

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Benefits, Outside NI, Private Tenancies, Welfare Reform

Increase in number of waiting days for JSA and ESA claims

1 October 2014

From 27th October, a person will have to wait 7 days from a period of sickness or unemployment before he or she can make a claim for Jobseekers Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.

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Benefits, Money Matters, Affordability

Briefing on restrictions on migrants accessing benefits

9 September 2014

The House of Commons Library has issued a useful briefing, summarising recent and proposed changes to migrants’ rights to access welfare benefits

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Benefits, Minority Groups

When can an extra bedroom be allowed for overnight care?

14 August 2014

The latest in a long line of appeals against the bedroom tax has just been heard in the Upper Tribunal in England.

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Benefits, Outside NI, Welfare Reform

Curbs on migrant benefits

31 December 2013

From 1 January 2014 new restrictions will be placed on migrants’ entitlement to benefits.

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Benefits, Minority Groups, Legal

EU restrictions to be lifted

18 December 2013

From 1 January 2014 the UK’s transitional controls on citizens of Bulgaria and Romania (A2 countries) will come to an end. These controls have been in place since Bulgaria and Romania joined the European Union in 2007. The lifting of restrictions means that citizens from those countries will be able to access all of the labour market and will no longer be subject to a Worker Authorisation Scheme (the Scheme).

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Benefits, Minority Groups, Social Tenancies, Homelessness, Legal

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