Under-Occupancy Penalty (Report) Bill

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to report to Parliament on the merits of repealing those provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 which provide for persons to be paid reduced rates of housing benefit or Universal Credit because their accommodation is deemed to be under-occupied.

Originating House

House of Commons

Last Updated

5 May 2022

In Plain English

AI-generated

The bill would require the Secretary of State to report to Parliament on whether to repeal the under-occupancy penalty (the ‘bedroom tax’) that reduces housing benefit or Universal Credit for households with spare bedrooms. It does not repeal the policy itself but seeks a formal assessment of its merits.

Key Points

Creates a mandatory parliamentary report on the merits of repealing the Welfare Reform Act 2012 under-occupancy provisions.
Targets the under-occupancy penalty that reduces benefits for claimants in suitably under-occupied homes.
The report would be prepared by the Secretary of State and presented to Parliament.
It does not itself repeal the policy; it assesses whether repeal would be desirable.
The bill originated in the House of Commons and is at the Second Reading stage.

Progress

The bill is currently at the Second Reading in the House of Commons and has yet to proceed to committee or further stages.

Who is affected?

Housing benefit claimantsUniversal Credit claimantsSocial housing tenants with spare bedroomsLocal authorities and housing associations involved in administering housing benefits

Generated 21 February 2026

Updates & Documents

News (1)

Under-Occupancy Penalty (Report) Bill

24 Jun 2021

The 2021-2022 session of Parliament has prorogued and this Bill will make no further progress.

Parliamentary Votes (0)

No recorded votes for this bill yet.

Under-Occupancy Penalty (Report) Bill | TrackPolitics