Outlawing bedroom tax evictions will send the wrong messages, says CIH Scotland The proposed Bill to outlaw bedroom tax evictions is well intended but will send all the wrong messages to tenants, according to CIH Scotland. Proposed by Jackie Baillie MSP on the back of the petition submitted to the Scottish Parliament by Govan Law Centre, the Bill would prohibit Scottish social landlords from evicting tenants whose rent arrears are solely down to the bedroom tax. David Bookbinder, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at CIH Scotland, said: “Along with so many other organisations, CIH across the UK has made its opposition to the bedroom tax very clear. Even if it were applying only to new tenancies, it would be bad enough: in being retrospective it is cruel and deeply unfair. “In not wanting to see anyone evicted for bedroom tax arrears, there are good intentions behind this Bill. But we think that in practice it will do more harm than good. We don’t believe that there will be mass evictions for bedroom tax arrears alone, so the Bill’s preventative impact will probably be minimal. Instead, we fear that such legislation would send a message to tenants that it doesn’t really matter whether they pay their bedroom tax or not. It could also be seen as rewarding tenants who choose not to engage at all with their landlord. “There are already indications that some councils who very publicly declared ‘no evictions’ policies are paying the penalty with particularly high arrears levels. The proposed legislation – or merely the prospect of it – is likely to further increase arrears levels, which would not be in the interests of any of the landlord’s tenants. “Those supporting the Bill know that the legislation wouldn’t remove the debt and the worry that this brings to tenants. One might surmise that the Bill is partly being used as a political lever with which to continue pressing the Scottish Government to find a full £50m year on year to pay the entire cost of the bedroom tax in Scotland. “Notwithstanding the fact that providing further funding may take the Scottish Government beyond its powers, there is an issue of proportionality here. Whilst the bedroom tax has understandably attracted most attention, other people too – such as tenants under 35 in the private rented sector – have suffered Housing Benefit cuts, and no-one seems to be suggesting that they are helped”.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 09:17:53 +0000
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