Discretionary Housing Payments

lacoole

I live in London and the LHA for my area is to be drastically reduced.

When I started renting this flat my LA subsidised my rent with a discretionary housing payment

Does anyone know if these payments are still available to make up the shortfall of my actual rent and the LHA?

I cannot work

Coolie

viktory

They are a temporary, short term measure so if your LA is to be reduced and you cannot pay the rent you'll have to move.

Kimitatsu

The discretionary payment is governed by the fair rents officer who will decide if your property is a reasonable amount for the area in which you live and your accomodation needs.

There are more details here as to what they can be paid for:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/paying_for_a_home/housing_benefit_and_local_housing_allowance/discretionary_housing_payments

Bear in mind that many of these government cuts are not due to come into force for at least 6 months and there will be a phasing in period otherwise councils will have a huge tidal flow of people needing affordable housing!

mitchaa

GreedyCheater wrote: »

The discretionary housing payment budget is being increased by 400%!

Is it?

Have you just made that up or can you link us to something to substantiate?

Anyway, surely discretionary is perhaps a month or 2's help?

Kimitatsu

mitchaa wrote: »

Is it?

Have you just made that up or can you link us to something to substantiate?

Anyway, surely discretionary is perhaps a month or 2's help?

Nope not necessarily, I have had a case where someone has been on DHP for years. If the decision is made to award DHP then it stays for the lifetime of that tenancy, it is only revoked if the award for HB is taken away or the tenant moves to a new tenancy. To be fair though it does vary from council to council.

THis back in June though:

One area is to see payouts increased - the discretionary housing payments' budget for hardship cases will be increased by £40m.

As has been said though these reforms will not start to take place until April 2011.

lacoole

viktory wrote: »

They are a temporary, short term measure so if your LA is to be reduced and you cannot pay the rent you'll have to move.

I was on DHP for six years previous to LHA being introduced Seem to remember having to do without for a week to change over to LHA

Good news about the 40m extra for DHP

No way I am moving from this place Its so convienient

Looks like LA's will be inundated with requests for DHP

Trick is to not panic move then tie them up for ages with appeals etc.

They would only have to rehouse me anyway as I would be homeless if my rent does not get paid


Thanx for info
coolie

dmg24

lacoole wrote: »

I was on DHP for six years previous to LHA being introduced Seem to remember having to do without for a week to change over to LHA

Good news about the 40m extra for DHP

No way I am moving from this place Its so convienient

Looks like LA's will be inundated with requests for DHP

Trick is to not panic move then tie them up for ages with appeals etc.

They would only have to rehouse me anyway as I would be homeless if my rent does not get paid


Thanx for info
coolie

Where is it that you live in London coolie?

There is no obligation to rehouse adults, and even if they do give you somewhere it could be a hostel/ B&B etc.

As you are aware of the decrease in entitlement, and the fact that the DHP funds are going to be massively oversubscribed, why not take the initiative and try to find somewhere cheaper now, before the rush starts?

Jowo_2

GreedyCheater wrote: »

The discretionary housing payment budget is being increased by 400%!

I understand, too, that there going to be a significant increase in the supply of it, but what is the increase in demand for it? Knowing one without the other is meaningless.

Jowo_2

lacoole wrote: »

..
They would only have to rehouse me anyway as I would be homeless if my rent does not get paid

Are you on Incapacity or Disability related benefits or state pension, for example? What is the current difference between your LHA and your rent and what will the future difference be?

Make sure that you verify this casual assumption with a housing expert from Shelter. For all you know, it could simply boil down to the local authority helping you to find a private rental property in a cheaper London borough, guaranteeing the deposit, for example.

A local council is not always obliged to provide assistance, sometimes they are permitted to just provide advice. It depends on how they are obliged to treat at homelessness application, if the person is considered in priority need.

Also, if the landlord confirms that notice has been served to the tenant because they are in arrears, then the tenant can be deemed to have made themselves intentionally homeless by the council This is premised on the tenant not paying rent when they could have so I don't know how it stands for the many LHA claimants whose income reduces, if there's an expectation that they must move to a property that they can afford and are held responsible if they choose to stay in a property that is too expensive for them.

In the meantime, here's a handy overview from Shelter about the future LHA changes which doesn't seem as optimistic as your interpretation

"This change is most likely to affect people who are renting properties in expensive areas like central London, where rents are likely to be much higher than these caps. It is likely that many people will have to move to more affordable properties, or even to a cheaper area, to avoid falling into rent arrears.

If you are renting a property with a weekly amount above these levels, your housing benefit will be reduced on the anniversary of your claim or if your household circumstances change. If your current rent is above the proposed caps you should seek advice about how you could make up any shortfall, whether you may need to move to a more affordable home, or how to negotiate with your landlord to see if they will agree a cheaper rent.

Regrettably, for some people, moving to a more affordable property may be the only way to ensure that your rent is affordable in the long term. This may even involve moving to a cheaper area. If your circumstances mean that it is likely to be difficult for you to find somewhere suitable (for example if you need wheelchair access), you may need to allow as much time as possible for this. A lot of people are likely to have to move once the changes are implemented, so there is likely to be less choice by then.

Unfortunately, many private tenants will struggle financially as a result of the proposed changes. It could be difficult to make up the shortfall between the reduced amount of housing benefit you receive, and the rent you have to pay. Some households will fall into rent arrears.
If you are in this situation, you will need to take action to avoid the risk of eviction. It may be possible to:

• Try talking to your landlord to see if they will consider reducing the rent on your property.
• Apply for a discretionary housing payment to help make up the shortfall."

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/paying_for_a_home/housing_benefit_and_local_housing_allowance/future_changes_to_local_housing_allowance

lacoole

dmg24 wrote: »

Where is it that you live in London coolie?

There is no obligation to rehouse adults, and even if they do give you somewhere it could be a hostel/ B&B etc.

As you are aware of the decrease in entitlement, and the fact that the DHP funds are going to be massively oversubscribed, why not take the initiative and try to find somewhere cheaper now, before the rush starts?

I live in Camden

No way I am moving

I am not worried as I know I will get the DHP

With LA's Its like waiting to see who will blink first You must be persistent They always crack I have found

Coolie

elmer

We have run out of all our DHP till next April, and therefore even deserving cases will not be receiving it, so please dont count on it.

Elmer