Under 25, Single, Unemployed?
You don’t deserve a 1-bed flat.

February 13th, 2012 | By PG

Did you know?…

According to government guidelines if you are single, under 25 and unemployed then you don’t deserve to live in a 1-bedroom flat. If you try to claim Housing Benefit you will not get enough money paid to cover your rent for a 1 bedroom private rented accommodation, even using your other benefits to top up the ‘shortfall’.

Under current legislation you will only receive the shared living rate aka ‘single room rent restriction’ which in essence means that you will have to live in a house share or ‘bedsit’; a property, in which you would have your own room with a shared kitchen and bathroom. For those who have great need and cannot get a council or social housing home, a private place may have just been the break they needed.

Consider myself and my mate, happily living in a private self-contained flatuntil our situation changed. My apprenticeship finished. He was made redundant. We could no longer afford the £400 a month rent. He returned home to his parents, I unfortunately did not have that option.

Upon approaching the council for support, I was advised that the maximum housing benefit for a single person is £440 per month. But wait, only if you are over 25 years old.  I was actually offered £240 a month, nowhere near enough to cover my rent let alone meet my other living expenses.

Unable to pay the rent; I was faced with the prospect of having to move out. Quickly. I moved to a hostel. What were my options?

A lengthy wait on a housing list for social or council housing.  Applying for jobs without a fixed address (as such) proved difficult.  Unless of course, I could have found a 1-bedroom flat for less than £60pw.  Cheap nice flats are rare, even harder to find is a landlord willing to take DSS under 25.

I could have probably moved to a house share. Fine for some, but what about those who would be scared to live in a house with between 2-10 strangers?

In my opinion all this could have been avoided if this policy was changed in line with council and social housing policy. Had my flat been social or council owned at the same rent I would have received full housing benefit to cover it, allowing me to remain in my home and job hunt.

Who wants to find a new job and a new home at the same time?

All of this begs the question: why are people over 25 privileged above those under 25? It’s as if life suddenly becomes harder or more expensive for one to live as a single person once they reach this numerical milestone.

 No wonder government figures suggest the average age for leaving home is now 25 – the system has been engineered so achieving independence is nigh on impossible before then.

 Whether using benefits for assistance, or working and earning national minimum wage (or thereabouts) you will struggle, as there are very few support measures in place for housing the young, single person.

Change is on the horizon…. Unfortunately, it’s not good news.

As of April this year the aforementioned restrictions will apply to under 35’s too. Check out the details.                                
 For more guidance and exemptions about housing benefits for young people from Shelter.

 Are you or someone you know facing hardship and/or housing needs due to this legislation? We want to hear your views, opinions and stories in the comments section below or please feel free to contact one of our team directly connect@socialbreakfast.org.uk

How long do you think Cameron and Clegg would survive on HB and JSA at an under-25 yrs rate (about £53 a week)?