Housing Benefit Woe's

DX2

Buggles wrote: »

Oh right, i thought LHA stood for Local Housing Authority, apparently not. The A is Allowance.

Rather annoying :rotfl:ain't it!

Jowo_2

Buggles wrote: »

..I have since looked into room shares & the cost is still the same. Working out at between £350 & £400 a month. Yes, bills are usually included in that, but I would still have to find all that rent.

Ultimately the cost is not the same because with exclusive accommodation, the extra bills can ratchet up the overall cost considerably and are more manageable when they are included in rent.

For example, per month

Council tax - £80
Energy - £40
Broadband/phone line - £30
TV licence - £10
Water rates - £20

You could save up to 50% of your basic living expenses through sharing and under 25s are only given shared room rates with LHA anyway.

To understand your rights better and how homelessness can be prevented, look at the Shelter and Crisis websites and speak to your local council housing department to understand their obligations towards you.

Single healthy adults with no dependents tend to be regarded as a lower priority but the local council does have an obligation to provide assistance to the homeless (those deemed to have no onward accommodation in the next 28 days whose behaviour has not contributed to their homeless status) who are a priority. This may vary from advice through to helping place its applicants in private accommodation, B&B, hostel (or more rarely) social housing.

Realistically, the chances of you securing private accommodation with a landlord is going to be quite low if you can't demonstrate that you can afford the rent and many won't offer accommodation to those on LHA since its too risky when it comes to arrears.

Can your parents offer to be guarantors? This is where they guarantee to the landlord that they can pay your rent if you are unable so therefore they have to be able to show that they can afford to do this.

Oldernotwiser

" under 25s are only given shared room rates with LHA anyway." Shared accommodation rate, actually - rather different!

suelees1

For what it's worth I consider it's discriminatory to pay those under 25 less than those 25 or over. Anyway we can't change the law by moaning about it.

Not 100% sure on this without checking it but I think if you take in a lodger you'll get the LHA two room rate so perhaps this is something you could do ? However it doesn't mean you'd actually be paid the two room rate as the amount of benefit you get decides on your income. Same goes for any rate of LHA even the shared room rate

Oldernotwiser

suelees1 wrote: »

even the shared room rate

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Jowo_2

suelees1 wrote: »

For what it's worth I consider it's discriminatory to pay those under 25 less than those 25 or over. Anyway we can't change the law by moaning about it.

Not 100% sure on this without checking it but I think if you take in a lodger you'll get the LHA two room rate so perhaps this is something you could do ? However it doesn't mean you'd actually be paid the two room rate as the amount of benefit you get decides on your income. Same goes for any rate of LHA even the shared room rate

Perhaps the purpose of the discrimination is to cut down on public expense by limiting the opportunity for youngsters to be entitled to a self-contained property which is much dearer on the public purse, not withstanding the fact that it could require tens of thousands, if not hundreds, of small properties to be built to cope with the sudden surge in demand for new households this would create.

Can you imagine what would happen if suddenly this discrimination was revoked? Every unemployed 18 year old would be clamouring to have their own 1 bedroom place and deserting their parents properties in droves. What's wrong with the usual transition of many years from parents house to shared property or lodgings to home ownership?

suelees1

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Calm down

I'm trying to tell this person that they wouldn't necessarily get the full amount paid of ANY rate

Oldernotwiser

suelees1 wrote: »

Calm down

I'm trying to tell this person that they wouldn't necessarily get the full amount paid of ANY rate

Sorry, but we have had people on here who thought that they actually had to share a room if they were under 25!

viktory

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Calm down dear, it's only another benefit thread!

suelees1

viktory wrote: »

Calm down dear, it's only another benefit thread!

Now he does get my back up