Families will be hit by the bedroom tax if a room remains unoccupied for just three months after the death of a family member, bereavement charities have warned.{jcomments on}
There have already been several cases of families in social housing told that rooms left “spare” after the death of a child or other family member will become subject to the controversial spare room subsidy.
Currently households are given 52 weeks before they are reassessed, to allow them to decide whether to move or to re-occupy the room before they incur cuts to their housing benefit.
But under the Government’s flagship Universal Credit scheme, which will see housing benefit rolled in with up to five other benefits in one monthly payment, the stay of grace is to be cut to just three months, the National Bereavement Alliance (NBA) said.
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