Title
Cotents
Abbreviations 5
1. Introduction 7
1.1 Housing Benefit 7
1.2 Literature review 8
2. Social housing and worklessness 10
2.1 Social housing and worklesseness: Key policy messages 12
2.2 Social housing and worklessness: Qualitative research findings 14
3. Underoccupation and mobility 20
3.1 Underoccupation in local authority and housing association housing 20
3.2 Underoccupation in social housing 24
3.3 Evaluation of Department for Work and Pensions Underoccupier Incentive Scheme 26
3.4 Doing it for themselves: Mutual exchange as a means of moving home for tenants 29
3.5 Social housing tenants' attitudes to rent levels and rent differentials 34
3.6 Who moves and why? Patterns of mobility in the housing association sector in London 35
4. Housing Benefit as an in-work benefit 38
4.1 Moving into Work: Bridging Housing Costs. Evaluation of the Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit Extended Payments and Fast-track Incentive Schemes 39
4.2 Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit as in-work benefits; claimants and advisors' knowledge, attitudes and experiences 40
4.3 Easing the transition to work 44
5. Single Room Rent and the Private Rented Sector 49
5.1 Local Housing Allowance and the Private Rented Sector 49
5.2 Single Room Rent 50
5.3 Local Housing Allowance Pathfinder Evaluation - Summary of evaluation reports 51
5.4 Research into the Single Room Rent regulations 54
5.5 Housing Benefit simplification in the Private Rented Sector 58
6. Management and performance 62
6.1 Reporting changes in circumstances: Tackling error in the benefit system 63
6.2 Management styles and characteristics of local authority Housing Benefit managers 66
6.3 Local authority experience in outsourcing Housing and Council Tax Benefits 70
6.4 Competitive tendering and management of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit administration 76
7. Conclusions 82
Annex: Welfare Reform White Paper 84
References 86