Housing benefit: 'Homes will have to be handed to the private sector' | Housing network | Guardian Professional

Housing benefit: 'Homes will have to be handed to the private sector' | Housing network | Guardian Professional

Many people argue that the housing benefit bill is too high and that those needing support to find and sustain a home should not be housed in the most valuable properties in central London.
Notting Hill Housing provides 2,500 leased homes in London for homeless households and the rapid introduction of benefit caps for existing tenants will have profound and unfortunate effects for our tenants.

The Department for Work and Pensions has notified all households likely to face a benefits cap. We should receive details soon; until then we can only estimate the impact based on our interpretation of the new rules and our analysis of recent tenant surveys about their circumstances.
The new household benefit cap limits benefit income to a maximum of £500 a week for couples and single parents, and £350 for single people – including housing benefit. From April 2013 this cap will apply to any claimant who is not in receipt of disability living allowance or tax credits. There are no transitional protection arrangements for existing tenants and an estimated 67,000 households across the UK will lose some benefit under the cap.