Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Guardian: Benefits cap leads to eviction notices in Haringey
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/may/01/benefit-cap-eviction-...
"In the first tangible proof that the cap would lead to rising levels of homelessness, one of Britain's biggest social landlords, Genesis, has issued a warning to tenants in Haringey – a London borough chosen by ministers to test plans to limit benefit payments to £26,000 a year – saying that it will now need to start legal proceedings to "terminate our lease".
The letter from Genesis says it has been forced into taking these steps because of the "significant changes being currently introduced to the welfare benefit system". The letter warns that, if the tenants do not offer a defence, a court can force eviction within 14 days.
The overall benefit cap set at £500 per week, or £350 for single people, was introduced in four London local authorities – Enfield, Bromley, Croydon and Haringey – in mid-April, and will be rolled out nationally later in the year. The Department for Work and Pensions has estimated that 56,000 households will be hit, with an average weekly loss of £93. The majority will be families with children.
Haringey council says it is "astonished by the premature threat" of eviction – which raised the possibility that scores of families may end up on the streets. It has 660 households who face an average £50-a-week loss because of the cap – and is spending £1.5m over three months to offer them homes within 1.5 miles of the borough."
Tags for Forum Posts: coalition, housing benefit, rent, tenants
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by judy gahagan on
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maybe there should start a movement as is happening in Spain to prevent evictions by gathering to support people who are being threatened and stopping access of bailiffs employed by landlords might. I'd be willing to join such a group but don't know how to get it started. Why would Haringey be 'astonished' - it follows clearly from government decisions
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The effect of these changes was predictable. I too would be willing to support people threatened by bailiffs. We also need to think about fair rents, too many landlords exploit this housing shortage by charging rents that are too high pricing families and single people out of housing. We need a new 'fair rents act', the last one established an assessment procedure of appeal for tenants who believed they were being overcharged or if repairs were being neglected by landlords.
This was abolished by Thatcher in the 1988 Housing Act, another 'fine mess' she got us into.
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Can anyone comment on who owns the (majority of) housing that companies like Genesis are the landlords for?
Would it be mainly privately or (local) government owned?
I'm wondering what's going to happen to properties where the prescribed rent is above this new cap - will they be given to people on benefits who are judged able to pay the given rent or put out onto the open market or...?
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With attacks on all social services its a good time to reflect on why we have a welfare state- Ken Loachs' "Spirit of '45"
is being shown at West Green Learning Centre on May 8th, see the 'events' page.
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Permalink Reply by Liz on
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I recommend Flora Drury's article in the Ham and High about this which explains more clearly than the Guardian article in my opinion why this is happening and why the HAs have behaved this way.
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I hadn't realised that the housing associations would have to pick up the shortfall, “If residents living in temporary accommodation, who pay market rate rents for their housing, do get into rent arrears due to a shortfall in housing benefit created by the benefits cap, we would be required to pay the difference to the owners of the properties. This would result in a situation where a not-for-profit charitable housing association would need to use the rental income from the majority of our residents, who are primarily low income families, to subsidise private landlords, which our board considered to be at odds with our charitable mission.” What a mess and countless vulnerable people worried about homelessness.
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Just to add another useful link for people trying to get their head around this. Nearly Legal have blogged on this happening both in Haringey, and other boroughs where the benefit cap has not yet been applied. This is a trend not an aberration.
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