Under the scheme, which was launched in April, social tenants who local authorities deem to have more bedrooms than are necessary, have their housing benefits reduced.
Raquel Rolnik, Special Rapporteur on housing, is currently undertaking a two-week tour of UK cities including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and London. Throughout this tour she will be meeting with tenants affected by the policy, campaigners, academics and officials.
Despite ministers justifying the scheme as a means of tackling what they call an unfair "spare room subsidy" as well as bringing the Government savings of around £500 million a year, protesters have claimed it forces many families into poverty and deliberately pushes people into the private sector.
Ms Rolnik commented:
"The UK has voiced its commitment to human rights on repeated occasions, and this mission will give me an opportunity to assess in-depth to what extent adequate housing, as one central aspect of the right to an adequate standard of living, is at the core of this commitment," she said.
The UK faces a unique moment, when the challenge to promote and protect the right to adequate housing for all is on the agenda.
In doing so, special attention would need to be given to responding to the specific situations of various population groups, in particular low-income households and other marginalised individuals and groups."
The final report will be presented in Geneva by the Special Rapporteur to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2014.
A spokesperson from the Department of Work and Pensions commented on the investigation:
"It is simply not affordable to pay housing benefit for people to have spare rooms. Reforms to housing benefit in the social sector mean families receive help for the number of bedrooms they need, and these are exactly same rules as in the private sector.
However, we are giving local authorities £190 million funding this year so vulnerable claimants get the help they need during the welfare reforms."
