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When everyone has a home

028 9024 5640: Housing & Debt Helpline for Northern Ireland

Housing Executive briefs Housing Practitioners' Forum on "bedroom tax"

Staff from the Housing Executive briefed members of Housing Rights’ Practitioners’ Forum on the operation of the “bedroom tax” policy, at the most recent meeting on 15th June.

Social Sector Size Criteria

The “bedroom tax” has been operational since 20th February 2017, and currently affects around 33,500 social households across Northern Ireland. Supplementary payments are available for affected households. NIHE staff briefed attendees on the introduction of the policy, and revision of the policy in light of a recent successful Supreme Court challenge. This was followed by a Q&A, where issues discussed included decision-making processes in relation to the policy; NIHE plans for contacting social households in light of the Supreme Court challenge; and the thresholds for claimants demonstrating they require “regular overnight care.”

Legislation & information update

Following the Housing Executive briefing, an update was provided on relevant legislative and information developments since the last Forum. This included:

Case law update

Attendees were also updated on relevant progressions in case law, including:

Advice queries & group discussion

Attendees then discussed recent housing cases and progressions, including:

Tagged In

Practical tips, Welfare Reform

This article was written on 7 July 2017. It should not be relied on as a statement of the current law or policy position. For help with housing issues please contact our helpline on 028 9024 5640 or use our online chat service at www.housingadviceNI.org.