Directors Blog

This month sees the implementation of the infamous bedroom tax.

The Government have decided that if you live in a housing association or council property and you have more bedrooms than they say you need you will lose part of your Housing Benefit.

In general, there seems to be a lack of wider awareness around it, with the national media only just picking up on it over the past few months. Only social landlords like ourselves have been warning people about it for well over a year now.

We first publicised it in our customer newsletter back in 2011 and mentioned it in this newspaper column back in the July of that year.

Worryingly, it seems the country was more concerned with missing Coronation Street during the digital TV switchover a few years ago than the implications the bedroom tax.

Some people still don’t think that they will be affected. We have 605 Aragon tenants who will be affected directly and have contacted them all, but around 120 of these have not engaged with us.

People need to be made aware of just how the bedroom tax could impact their lives. If you are affected, think you may be or even know someone who may be, contact your housing officer or check our website www.aragon-housing.co.uk for details.

We also have a number of services available to customers that can help. Our free and confidential Money Advice Service and Financial Wellbeing Service can help you manage your money better and ensure that you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to.