Bedroom Tax / Under-occupancy reduction

If you rent your home from a council or a housing association, and you are of working age, your Housing Benefit  or Housing Element of Universal Credit may be reduced if it is considered you have more bedrooms than you actually need.This rule is known as the 'under-occupancy penalty' and is also commonly referred to as the 'Bedroom Tax'

If your home is considered to be too big for you, the rent amount used to calculate your Housing Benefit will be cut by:

14% if you have one spare bedroom

25% if you have two or more spare bedrooms.

If you are over Pension Credit age this rule does not affect your claim for Housing Benefit.

If you live in Sanctuary Scheme housing because you have experienced domestic violence, you should be exempt from the bedroom tax.