Welfare reform

Your housing benefit may be cut if you are of working age and the Government decides you have more bedrooms than you need.

How many bedrooms am I allowed?

One bedroom for:

• every adult couple (married or unmarried)
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any two children of the same sex aged under 16
• any two children aged under 10
• any other child (other than a foster child or child whose main home is elsewhere)
• a carer (or team of carers) who don’t live with you but provide you or your partner with regular overnight care

How much benefit will I lose?

If you have more bedrooms than the rules allow, the reduction will be;

• 14% if you have one extra bedroom
• 25% if you have two or more extra bedrooms

Exemptions

You won’t be affected if:

• you live in a caravan, mobile home or houseboat
• you live in an ‘excluded tenancy’ such as:
  • regulated tenancies entered into before 15 January 1989
  • a shared ownership property
  • temporary accommodation
• you are in temporary accommodation because you are homeless or at risk of being homeless
   
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