Help with housing benefit

[blueberries]

Hello, please can someone explain in plain english the difference between;
LHAR (Local Housing Allowance Rate)which is £110.77 per week for a 2 bedroomed property
and
LHAL (Local Housing Allowance Limit) which is upto £290.00 per week for a 2 bedroomed property.

I am having a brain block in trying to understand why there are 2 different amounts.

Thanks.

[CAB Wyre Forest representative]

Hello blueberries

It can be a bit confusing and this link may answer your question in part

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/englan...fit_will_cover

The LHA is the maximum that can be paid on a property of a certain type ie two bed property.

You may have some reason why you cannot get the full LHA either because you are under 35 or possibly because your family only need a one bed property. If this is the case then your housing benefit will be based on the lower amount. If this is not the answer then you do need to go back to the council and ask them to explain.

[lighting up the chalice]

Originally Posted by blueberries

Hello, please can someone explain in plain english the difference between;
LHAR (Local Housing Allowance Rate)which is £110.77 per week for a 2 bedroomed property
and
LHAL (Local Housing Allowance Limit) which is upto £290.00 per week for a 2 bedroomed property.

I am having a brain block in trying to understand why there are 2 different amounts.

Thanks.

LHA/LHAR is a local calculation based on the lowest 30% of private rents in a specified area for a particular property type/size.

LHAL is the national maximum which LHA for that property type cannot exceed. It usually only applies in the South East/London.

Your LHA is the £110.77 for a 2 bed property. That is the figure on which they will base any LHA claim from a household requiring 2 bedrooms.

[lighting up the chalice]

Originally Posted by CAB Wyre Forest representative

Hello blueberries

.....

The LHA is the maximum that can be paid on a property of a certain type ie two bed property.

....

.

No. It is the maximum they will pay for a household that requires a property of a certain type. If that family can find a 3, 4, 5 bed property for the 2 bed LHA rate, then there award will be still be based on the 2 bed LHA rate, regardless of the property size.

[preciousillusions]

is it still the case that if you are under 35 (I am 25) but receive DLA at a higher care rate you can claim housing benefit for a one bedroom flat instead of the usual rate for shared accommodation? As my disability would make it very hard for me to share. I am currently living at home with my mum but the situation is quite unbearable (due to my disability, partly a mental health issue) and I need to get out. Also is there any way of getting help with deposits etc to get into a new rent when you are on benefits? Thanks in advance for any replies and advice with this.

[CAB Wyre Forest representative]

The amount you get will vary depending on your circumstances. Housing benefit assessments are based on a combination of:

• personal allowances
• Premiums- (paid if you or your partner have a disability, care for a disabled person or have reached the qualifying age for pension credit).

You can get extra amounts in the form of premiums if you satisfy certain conditions.

Severe disability premium
You or your partner must satisfy all of the following:

• be receiving the care component of disability living allowance (middle or higher rate) or attendance allowance
• live alone (there are exceptions to this rule)
• no one else must be getting carer's allowance for looking after you

hope this helps

[galeforce81]

At the moment i am sleeping on a friends sofa but am hoping to rent my own place and would then claim housing benefit. I am 31 and in receipt of ESA income based (support group) and DLA (High rate mobility, Low rate care). I would like to know if its likely that i could claim a higher amount of HB than is typical of someone of my age as i was told that i would only be able to get enought HB for a room in a shared house. I dont know if i get a severe disability premium but i receive just under £240p2w. If anyone could help i would really appreciate it.

[CAB Wyre Forest representative]

Originally Posted by galeforce81

At the moment i am sleeping on a friends sofa but am hoping to rent my own place and would then claim housing benefit. I am 31 and in receipt of ESA income based (support group) and DLA (High rate mobility, Low rate care). I would like to know if its likely that i could claim a higher amount of HB than is typical of someone of my age as i was told that i would only be able to get enought HB for a room in a shared house. I dont know if i get a severe disability premium but i receive just under £240p2w. If anyone could help i would really appreciate it.

Hello
As you are under 35, you are correct to be concerned. Under 35's are only entitled to HB level (set by your local authority) appropriate to shared accommodation. A single person with no children can be exempt if they are "severely" disabled - claiming middle or high rate care element of DLA - see this link http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_ad...u_are_under_35

As you are getting income based ESA you are passported to the full HB level subject to the above.
Hope this helps.
If you need more detailed advice then I suggest you contact your local CAB and get an interview - you can find the nearest office by using www.citizensadvice.org.uk

[sabrinamve]

Hello
I hope someone might be able to help. I am a single parent and I have recently come off Income Support and started working 20 hours per week. I was claiming IS for over a year and was told I would qualify for 4 weeks Extended Payment or Run On of my Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, as well as a Job Grant and In-work credit. I have received the grant and have started getting my in-work credit but my Local Authority are denying me my 4 weeks Extended Payment. They sent me a letter saying they were awarding it to me but when I stopped receiving any payments I called them and was advised I no longer qualified as I would still need HB whilst in work - therefore Extended Payment no longer applies. And now it will take 6-8 weeks without any help as they work out my in-work Housing Benefit. It's left me in a financially difficult situation, please can someone advise if my LA are allowed to do this?
Thanks in advance
Sabrina

[Xplosive75]

Hi,
People may hate and attack me on here but I'm hoping one it two of you will be able to give me some advice.
I haven't been entirely honest on my claim, I married 3 years ago but didn't tell housing benefit :0(
The reason I didn't though us because me and my husband can't live together as he had his own ha house an hours drive away where he lives with his children from another marriage. I don't receive any money from him as he has his own house and bills to pay for. I didn't intend for things to be like this but when I tried living with him for a few weeks it caused so much upset for my son from a previous relationship that he had a breakdown and was then diagnosed with Aspergers. He was making suicidal threats and said he couldn't hack living with my husband and his children as he hated them.
Hence why I live apart from my husband, I just go to him on weekends when my mum comes to mine to look after my son. Tax credits know my situation and are fine for me to claim as an individual but I know housing benefit are different hence why I haven't told them I got married. I have never been dishonest in my life and this is killing me and I really want to be honest and tell them but what will happen to me ? I have been married for 3 years now and claimed as an individual all that time but I don't get any money from my husband as we live separate lives but wanted to get married for the sake if our child together who is now 3. Even if they weren't to prosecute me would they stop my housing benefit because I am married as I would be homeless if this happened as my son could never live with my husbands children and also his house is too small for all of us.
I am so scared but what can I do??? I don't want to go to jail just because I wanted to be married!

[CAB Wyre Forest representative]

Dear Sabrina,

If you had been on IS for more than 26 weeks, you should receive Extended Payments automatically forat least the same ratefor an extra four weeks from the first day of your employment, even if you would still need HB whilst in work. We would like to advice you to contact your local council and ask why they deny your 4 weeks Extended Payment.

[Peter1986]

Hello,
I'm 26, single, with non-dependents. I moved to UK (London) two months ago, I already have my NIN and I'm on JSA. I'm actively looking for job but I need to rent a bedroom as soon as possible. I'm planning to rent a bedroom in a 2 or 3 bedroom flat (private landlord) and I really need to know if I'm entitled to house benefit and how much can I get before I rent it. I've filled calculators online, called the house benefits department of some councils and also visited some councils in order to get advice but I couldn't get a clear answer.
If you need more information about my circumstances please ask me, I know my question is quite easy but as I'm not familiar with many terms it's been really hard to get an accurate answer.
Thanks a lot for your time and patience.
Regards

[CAB Wyre Forest representative]

Hello Peter1986

The reason that you are finding it difficult to do an on line calculation is because of as a single person under 35 you will be restricted to what is called the "single room rent" This means a room in a shared house with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. essentially a bedsit. this siongle room rent will be different across the country but you will only get HB based on this figure. Any rent above this figure will need to be paid by the claimant from their income.

What you will need to do is look on line at the areas where you are looking to live and look at the council website where it will give the Local Housing Allowance ( LHA) for each area then you will have an idea what the rate is but I don't think you will find it very generous and you will definitely not get a two bed flat,

If you do find work then you may still be entitled to HB but it will still be based on the single room rent. Good luck