The Housing Selection Scheme Consultation Paper - Northern ...

Table 1: Examples of how the Size Criteria Might Apply to a Household with
Children compared to the rules of the current Housing Selection Scheme
Household
A household
comprising of a
lone parent with
two children, a
boy aged three
and girl aged
eight years
Current Housing
Selection Scheme
Rules
Would qualify for a
three bedroom
house, one for the
lone parent and one
each for the children
as the children are of
different sex and one
is over the age of 7
years.
New Housing
Benefit Rules from
1st April 2013
Will qualify for
housing benefit for a
two bedroom home -
one bedroom for the
lone parent and a
second for the
children as they are
both under 10 and
expected to share.
Impact of New
Housing Benefit
Rules
If this family were
housed in a three
bedroom house in
line with the current
Housing Selection
Scheme rules they
would have to pay
the difference in
rent of
approximately £7 to
£10 per week
A household of a
couple with three
children: two boys
aged two years
and five years
and a girl aged 11
years old.
Would be assessed
as requiring three
bedrooms - one for
the couple, one for
the two boys who
would be expected to
share and a separate
bedroom for the girl
aged 11.
Will qualify for
housing benefit for a
three bedroom home
- one for the couple,
one for the two boys
and a third for the girl
aged 11.
This household
scenario would not
be affected by the
Housing Benefit
size restriction.
A household with
a couple and
three children, a
girl of 6 and two
boys aged 12 and
16 years.
Would be assessed
as requiring three
bedrooms - one for
the couple, one for
the two boys who
would be expected to
share until the older
reached 18 years
and a separate
bedroom for the girl
aged 6.
Will qualify for
housing benefit for
four bedrooms - one
for the couple; a
separate one for the
boy aged 16; a
separate one for the
boy aged 12 years
and a separate
bedroom for the girl
of 6.
This household
would be entitled to
a greater number of
bedrooms under
the new Housing
Benefit rules than
under the current
allocation rules in
the Housing
Selection Scheme.
Our Proposal: It is recommended that Schedule 3 of the Housing Selection
Scheme Rules should be amended to bring the age criteria for minimum
bedroom requirements into line with that used for Housing Benefit purposes. This
will mean that two children of different genders will now be expected to share up
to the age 10 years (currently up to 7 years) and children of any age of the same
Proposals for Changes to the Housing Selection Scheme 8