Bedroom Tax affecting private landlords?!!!

Apologies to everyone concerned that I left a personal comment about two of the commenters here, referring to "cloud cuckoo land". Its best we keep things above making personal comments.

Just to clarify, I've only read quickly & please don't draw me into a debate, as I han't hot time. I believe Mary is talking about LHA which as all us expert HB Landlords know, we all regard as HB now. When we talk HB on here, we mean LHA.
But I believe that Jay Jay is talking about HB, the pre 2008 days of which I still have some tenants on the old HB system, which does get referred to a rent officer still-Remember them?
And in them days, yes Jay Jay is correct, u did ruddy lose money if they got under occupied, it was called a rent officer determination. I still get asked to do values for them now, as many Landlords may do.
U never knew what u was gonna' get.
I switched loads of mine from HB to LHA in 2008 if it was advantageous to me & tenant & saved approx 10 houses on the old system-Some were better off for years, some are now slightly worse off or same. Not much in it.
So yes, now LHA value is on the tenant, example they may get £106 whether they live in a 1 bed flat or 7 bedroom mansion.
Whereas in the 'old' days, house may be valued at £100, but because the tenant wasn't filling that last bedroom up, Rent Officer would downgrade to tenant to £90pw.
Anyway, that's what I think Jay Jay was talking about.
I wan't gonna' comment, but felt a bit sorry for Mary there getting it in the neck, when she is in fact an expert.

Reply to the comment left by "Mick Roberts" at "16/08/2013 - 17:09":

Using your comment just above Mick, verifies my underlying point. Ie that the private rented sector, has been having rent benefit (called various things at various stages) restricted as a result of having too many bedrooms for many years, even decades. Those complaining about the misnamed "bedroom tax", need to realise that similar restrictions on benefits have existed in the private rented sector for decades.

Reply to the comment left by "Jay Jay" at "16/08/2013 - 17:16":

Apologies to Mary, you have indicated quite clearly that the private sector has had restrictions similar to the misnomer "bedroom tax" for some time. Thanks Mick Roberts for clearing up the prior to 2008 situation. I have tried to indicate that a form of restriction based on / connected to over housing existed prior to LHA. I have seen examples where individual councils variously refused whole claims and part claims for HB / rent rebate categorically because of over housing / too many bedrooms as early as the 1980s. (I am not so old as to remember the situation before that!!).. This all indicates that the anti "bedroom tax" brigade have got it massively wrong when complaining that big bad PRS landlords / claimants have no HB restrictions.

Many thanks to everyone who has commented. I think I may have been a bit slow here. I have had a tenant those HB/LHA was reduced from the start because she had a "spare" bedroom but in her case there were other factors. Now I am confident that I understand the system. I don't suppose that I was the only landlord who was confused and now understands.

Reply to the comment left by "Tilly Mint" at "16/08/2013 - 11:08":

Yes, thanks, I'm well aware that bedroom tax is a reduction of housing benefit for having a 'spare' room. But if you want to be pedantic, LHA tenants do not face a reduction in housing benefit if the rent is higher than LHA as you say, because they weren't entitled to it in the first place.

The fact remains that there is no bedroom tax applied in the private sector as a tenant can have a spare room without penalty if the LHA covers full rent, this is not the case in the social housing sector where any spare room now attracts a penalty. And there are many areas where LHA covers the cost of a spare room, particularly in the North.

As for "cutting back on their 70 a day lol", I won't even dignify that with a sensible comment, as it just shows your unfounded prejudice against social housing tenants. The same could be said for private tenants who have to top up LHA if they are struggling.

Reply to the comment left by "Anon " at "17/08/2013 - 13:54":

i must disagree with your last comment, it does not show prejudice against tenants social or private , we all have a responsibility to live within our means and pay our own way in life. this is particularly the case when the people concerned are living off welfare
payments (our taxes). i suspect the majority tenants would agree here.

Reply to the comment left by "Jay Jay" at "14/08/2013 - 16:15":

Clearly you did not read my post I said

"Private landlords are not suffering because of “bedroom tax” that is only about social housing. We are suffering from benefit caps and reductions in allowances for non-dependent relative. Under LHA rules tenants are only paid for the number of rooms that they are deemed to need not the number of rooms in the property and some tenants have faced reductions where they children are now classed as adults and should be claiming in their own right and contribution from their benefits towards to rent."

What is known as "bedroom tax" ONLY applies to social housing.

Please feel free to read my book and point out any inaccuracies with the source to the correct information.

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My book, where I warn about the storm clouds that are gathering for landlords is here >>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1484855337

Reply to the comment left by "Jay Jay" at "16/08/2013 - 18:51":

Sorry Jay Jay I posted my last comment before reading this comment.

Writing a book was, for me, a very big deal and I almost did not publish after spending months on research because I was very aware that people might think "What makes her think that we want to read what she has to say". At the last minute I published without even having the book edited, I have now done that and published a second version with corrections. Some people may disagree with my comments in the book but the facts are correct. I did not set out to tell people what to do just to tell them what I see are important issues that may impact on their businesses over the next couple of years and let them decide what action, if any, they need to take.

I am happy to say that several people did want to read what I had to say and I now have a publisher and I am writing my second book.

Having written a book I now have a new respect for those who spend the to put a book together and the courage to actually publish it.

Follow me on Twitter@landlordtweets

My book, where I warn about the storm clouds that are gathering for landlords is here >>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1484855337

Reply to the comment left by "Mick Roberts" at "16/08/2013 - 17:09":

My Hero. Thank you.

I am not an expert just a landlord who has been in this business for over 40 years and has made more mistakes than I care to remember but I have learned from those mistakes - a huge learning curve.

Follow me on Twitter@landlordtweets

My book, where I warn about the storm clouds that are gathering for landlords is here >>> http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1484855337