Housing Solicitors

The City of Cardiff Council has re-affirmed its commitment to assisting council tenants affected by the Bedroom Tax.

The council says such tenants have priority on the housing waiting list and are proactively supported.

The council's commitment includes the assurance that there will be no application to evict any tenant affected by Bedroom Tax who is engaging with officers, is realistic about their accommodation choices – and is genuinely trying to resolve the issues they face.

Since the introduction of the Bedroom Tax, a total of 3,208 offers of housing have been made to people affected by it in Cardiff – and 850 families have downsized.

The council says it will support households with Discretionary Housing Payments to pay the shortfall in rent for individuals who have agreed to downsize and are waiting to move. Financial help is also available to help with removal costs. In total, since April 2013, more than £1.7 million has been paid in Discretionary Housing Payments to help people affected by the Bedroom Tax.

Ongoing support is also available for those who need an extra room due to a disability or for a foster child.

For people who do want to stay in their current Cardiff Council property, help is available with claiming appropriate benefits, as well as budgeting advice and assistance to return to work or upskill where appropriate.

Cabinet Member for Health, Housing and Wellbeing, Councillor Susan Elsmore, said:

“Evictions from council properties only take place as a very last resort for extremely serious rent arrears or anti-social behaviour – and we go to great lengths to avoid this situation wherever possible. As soon as a tenant is in arrears, our officers get in touch with them to discuss affordable repayment options – and a welfare officer will visit to ensure they are receiving all the financial help they need.

“We also refer tenants onto other independent agencies that may be able to assist with their problems. For several years, we’ve had a rent arrears prevention strategy to ensure, as far as possible, that we help people to keep up with their rent payments.As a result, we’ve seen the numbers of evictions drop from 105 in 2008-2009 to 58 in 2015-2016. This represents a reduction of 45%, which has been achieved despite the considerable pressures of Welfare Reform.”

“Even at very late stages of the process – and before any warrant of eviction is requested – officers will continue to be in contact with a tenant, giving them every opportunity to engage. If they commit to a payment plan it may be possible to defer the eviction. If children are involved or a tenant is vulnerable, our homelessness team make every effort to engage with them. However, if all efforts fail and the judge grants the eviction, temporary accommodation will often be provided while individual cases are considered.

“In a nutshell, eviction is not a step the council takes lightly – we make every effort to help tenants who struggle to pay their rent and we have great success with tenants through our work in the hubs, and with how we use Discretionary Housing Payments. If there are tenants out there now experiencing difficulty with paying their rent, and struggling financially, my strong advice to them is to get in touch with us as soon as possible – our Money Advice team is here to help.”

Duncan Lewis Housing Solicitors

Duncan Lewis housing solicitors can advise on a wide range of housing law, including advising developers and self builders on planning permissions and planning appeals.

There are Duncan Lewis offices across England and Wales and our housing team is also able to advise on: