Under-occupation

If you are working age and living in rented social housing, your Housing Benefit will be reduced if your property has more bedrooms than you need. Your home is social housing if you are renting it from:

• the council
• a housing association
• a registered social landlord

• 14% of your rent if you have 1 spare bedroom
• 25% of your rent if you have 2or more spare bedrooms

This is called an under-occupancy deduction. You may also hear it referred to as the 'bedroom tax' or 'removal of the spare room subsidy'.

You will not be affected if you are over state pension credit age (or, if you are in a couple, at least one of you is over state pension credit age), or if you are renting certain types of accommodation, such as:

• shared ownership homes
• mobile home sites
• temporary homeless accommodation
• supported ‘exempt’ accommodation