Housing benefit and LHA

pizzle84

How come the LMA people dont feel that a family of 3 (lone parent and 2 kids) need a 3 bedroomed house!! My mate is a lone parent with a boy and girl and she's in a 2 bedroomed, small house and she wants to go into a 3 bedroomed house so they all have their own rooms and space but she wont get anymore help with her housing benefits. There's 3 people living there so why should they only be allowed a 2 bedroomed house? i know that the LHA think that the kids can share a room but the rooms are tiny and its so tight for them.

Morlock

Possibly when the eldest reaches a certain age, she will be entitled to 3 bedrooms. Whilst the children are younger, they are expected to share a room.

Wee_Willy_Harris

LHA is paid at a rate to meet the needs of a family of a specific size. The childrens ages dictate the room rate allowable. However, this just dictates the amount of LHA payable. What that money is spent on, housing wise, is up to the individual claimant. If your mate can find a 3 bed available for that rate (possible in most areas) then he will still get the same amount towards his rent. So, he can go for a bigger house in a less popular/expensive area. Equally, if he wishes to live in a popular area, he could squeeze the family into a 1 bed place and the LHA rate remains the same. So, like most people, he has a finite amount of money to spend on his housing costs, but how he spends it is up to him.

pizzle84

Well the LHA at the moment is £126.92 (full amount) a week on a 2 bedroom house, the 3 bedroom house is in the same area literally 2 minutes down the road. The rent o the 2 bedroom house is £595/mth and the 3 bedroom house is £675/mth.

Wee_Willy_Harris

pizzle84 wrote: »

Well the LHA at the moment is £126.92 (full amount) a week on a 2 bedroom house, the 3 bedroom house is in the same area literally 2 minutes down the road. The rent o the 2 bedroom house is £595/mth and the 3 bedroom house is £675/mth.

I'll repeat that for you.......

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

If your mate can find a 3 bed available for that rate (possible in most areas) then he will still get the same amount towards his rent. So, he can go for a bigger house in a less popular/expensive area.

pizzle84

Ok can i just confirm info so i tell my mate the right thing!!!
On the LHA website it says 2 bedroom - £126.92/wk and 3 bedroom - £150.00/wk. So with 1 adult and 2 kids could she go for the 3 bedroom house and get the £150 a week or will she still only get the £126.92 a week and have to make up the remaining rent? sorry for being a pain!!

Blackpool_Saver

It depends on the ages and sex of the children, you are over simplifying it

pizzle84

Oh i was just going by what the LHA website says. She's got a boy who is 4 and a newborn baby girl.

Wee_Willy_Harris

pizzle84 wrote: »

Ok can i just confirm info so i tell my mate the right thing!!!
On the LHA website it says 2 bedroom - £126.92/wk and 3 bedroom - £150.00/wk. So with 1 adult and 2 kids could she go for the 3 bedroom house and get the £150 a week or will she still only get the £126.92 a week and have to make up the remaining rent? sorry for being a pain!!

Regardless of what she rents, she will get the £126 a week until one of her children hits 10. Then she would get the 3 room rate as she would need 3 rooms.

HappyMJ

pizzle84 wrote: »

Oh i was just going by what the LHA website says. She's got a boy who is 4 and a newborn baby girl.

2 bed LHA rate then. As that is £550 per month she will have to find the difference from elsewhere. Possibly use some of the child support she gets to house her kids.

sarahevie

She would still get the 126 a week, but this may buy a larger place if she searches for one. Cheaper three bed houses may be available in less desirable areas.

If she went for the 675 house she would have to make up the difference from her own funds. If she wants a larger house the easiest way would be to move to a cheaper area where her £126 a week will get a 3 or even a 4 bed place.