Evaluation of Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy

This document describes an evaluation of the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy (RSRS) policy, which was implemented to decrease Housing Benefit for social tenants with extra bedrooms. The policy's effectiveness was assessed through various methods, including surveys, interviews, case studies, and data analysis, over a period from April 2013 to November 2014. The evaluation found a decrease in the number of affected households, with regional variations and a shift towards older claimants. While some tenants adapted by finding employment or moving to smaller homes, many faced financial difficulties and barriers to downsizing, such as a lack of available smaller homes. Landlords experienced challenges in managing their housing stock, with some altering their development plans to build more one-bedroom units, though concerns about the policy's long-term effects and the need for larger homes persisted. The RSRS had a notable impact on both claimants and the social housing sector, with financial strain on tenants and mixed outcomes on housing management and tenant mobility. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Department for Work and Pensions
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation; Process evaluation
• Impact methods: Generic research method
• Process methods: Case studies; Individual interviews; Surveys and polling
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: December 2015

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Links to published evaluations (DEBUGGING): No final report link found.
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes