Splitting a room

jamrumples

Hello could anyone please advise. Looking to move homes, currently the home I’m moving into is a 2 bed but the biggest room is split into 2 with a partition down the middle. Have been told this will need moving because it will be classed as a three bed. 

Even though this wall is only a partition. Doesn’t have a door attached. It is simply a frame and plaster board. 

Is this correct? That it could be classed as a 3 bed and effect benefit such as council tax etc. thankyou.

jamrumples

Hello I currently live in a 3 bed which Is to big. My girls have their own room, which is great for them but not my bank account. 

I want to downsize and have the opportunity to but the house I’m swapping with has 2 bedrooms, only the bigger one is divided because she has a boy and a girl sharing. 

I thought great, although space is a lot less they still have their own little space. 

However upon inspection was told that the wall will need to come down because it will affect the benefits, bedroom tax etc. 

confused slightly because I wasn’t aware that this was classed as an extra bedroom since it’s a literal piece of plaster board and to enter the “3rd” room you have to go through the 2nd. There is a window and either side of the divide but not a door to enter into. 

Can any one inform me if this is correct please I e tried to ask in another forum. But to no avail I’ve searched the internet but nothing comes up. 

racyguy

woodbine said:

It could affect bedroom tax if it's over 63 sq.feet, if you only need 2 bedrooms a partition wall should be easy to remove.

If you take on a 3 bed place surely it would be wrong to take down a partition wall to make it a 2 bed?
If that is allowed you would have everybody knocking walls down so as not to have to pay the bedroom tax?

racyguy

woodbine said:

racyguy said:

woodbine said:

It could affect bedroom tax if it's over 63 sq.feet, if you only need 2 bedrooms a partition wall should be easy to remove.

If you take on a 3 bed place surely it would be wrong to take down a partition wall to make it a 2 bed?
If that is allowed you would have everybody knocking walls down so as not to have to pay the bedroom tax?

In this case it was a 2 bed that had been converted to a 3 bed and the question was could they make it back into 2 bed, if it were that easy to avoid the bedroom tax we would have all heard the noise.

It all depends how the property was described

jamrumples

The house is and was built as a two bed. 

The woman living there at present put up a plaster board partition because she has a boy and girl sharing. 

When swapping tenancies the landlords come out and do inspections they have told her to remove the wall. 

Not an issue, for me. But extra work and I’m just confused because the wall is literally a partition. It doesn’t come across the wall fully. It doesn’t have a door. You have to enter through one side of the room to get into the other side. Exactly like this picture.

jamrumples

My original thought process was …. How is that ^^ make the house a 3 bed. Because it isn’t, it’s literally just a privacy screen. More than a wall and two different rooms. 

Adrian_Scope

I'm of the same mind as you @jamrumples. I can't see how they could class that sort of privacy screen partition as an additional bedroom. 

Would you prefer to be able to keep the partition? 

jamrumples

Absolutely would yes, but not if it’s going have me causing issues on bedroom tax