How to downsize from your Council property

If your circumstances have changed and you have more bedrooms than you need in your current Council property, you could consider downsizing. There are a number of benefits to downsizing:

• Paying less rent on fewer bedrooms
• Lower bills for a smaller home
• A smaller home is easier to clean and maintain
• The Council offers financial incentives to downsizers and helps with your move
• For working age people, having a spare bedroom can result in cuts to your universal credit or housing benefit (known as the bedroom tax). Moving to a property the right size for your needs can reverse these cuts and maximise your benefits. 

How much could I be paid for downsizing?

The amount of financial incentive paid to a downsizing tenant depends on the size of the property you are in now, and the size you move to. The more bedrooms you give up, the higher the payment.
The payment consists of a £500 lump sum for the first bedroom released, plus £350 for every subsequent room released. There is also a £200 disturbance payment, which rises to £250 for tenants of pension age. We also cover removal costs, which consists of the hire of a removal van, the disconnection and reconnection of a cooker and telephone.

What support can the Council provide?

We can provide information and support to help you to find a property to help you find a new property that meets your needs and preferences as far as possible. We can also review your details to ensure that you have the correct status on the housing register. Downsizers have a very high priority on the housing register. For more information, see the Council’s Allocations Policy.

We also help households move by arranging removals and reconnecting your cooker, white goods, internet and telephone.

What kind of property could I move to?

The type of property you would move to depends on the availability of homes. Please note that 5-bedroom and 6-bedroom homes and bungalows rarely become available. Households who decide to downsize can opt to keep one spare bedroom. 

How is my bedroom need calculated?

The way in which the Council calculates bedroom need assumes that:

• Couples share a bedroom
• Children of the tenant aged over 10 years will not be expected to share a bedroom with a sibling of another sex
• Children of the tenant of any age (including adult children) of the same sex will be expected to share a room.

Full details of the bedroom entitlement can be found at p14 of the Allocations Policy.

To find out more, please contact us for a more detailed discussion by emailing Downsize@newham.gov.uk.