May 2014

The importance of carrying out a good homelessness review on behalf of clients cannot be stressed enough. A successful review can be of tremendous importance for the future housing status of clients, often resulting in an allocation of social housing.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) Findings  published recently revealed that household incomes, poverty rates and the labour market have all worsened in Northern Ireland (NI) in the last five years. In each case, this deterioration has been greater than in Britain.  NI also has a higher poverty rate than the rest of Ireland. Before housing costs, 21% of people in NI were in poverty in 2011 compared with 15% in the Republic of Ireland.

Over the last few months there has been a noticeable increase in the number of hate crime attacks reported in the local media. These attacks are primarily targeted at the homes of people from minority ethnic groups.

The Labour Party has failed in an attempt to ban letting agents from charging fees to private rented tenants.

MPs defeated by 53 votes the party’s amendment to the Consumer Rights Bill to ban letting agent fees. Only three Conservative and Lib Dem MPs supported the opposition move however five Northern Ireland MPs were in support of the amendment (Mark Durkan, Lady Herman, Naomi Long, Ian Paisley and Jim Shannon).

Welfare reform is coming under further scrutiny with permission granted for a new Judicial Review on the bedroom tax and an anticipated Supreme Court decision on whether the benefit cap unjustifiably discriminates against lone parents and victims of domestic abuse.

Under the Housing Benefit rules, there are certain occasions when a claimant can claim Housing Benefit on ‘two homes’ for up to 4 weeks where they could not reasonably have avoided being liable for rent on both properties.