Help with non dependant deduction - LHA

RaspberryJelly_2

When calculating my LHA should my local council benefits office be deducting the £11.45 (per week) non dependant deduction from the actual weekly rent cost or from the maximum weekly LHA rate?

HappyMJ

Rates when down from 50% to 30%. As an existing customer you had quite a bit of time to look for somewhere cheaper before you were affected. Now you have been affected by that change.

The non dependant deduction comes off the LHA amount or your rent if lower and not what your rent actually is.

RaspberryJelly_2

HappyMJ wrote: »

Rates when down from 50% to 30%. As an existing customer you had quite a bit of time to look for somewhere cheaper before you were affected. Now you have been affected by that change.

Where I live this is the going rate for a 2 bed property for 2 adults. I am not able to get anything cheaper other than council and I do not have a need (with not being homeless) to get a council property.

Also, I am aware of the rates going down as stated in my above post. But why am I being told the LHA rates have been changed by the government in Dec 2012 but elsewhere it states they will remain the same from April 2012 until March 2013?

lighting_up_the_chalice

RaspberryJelly wrote: »

Where I live this is the going rate for a 2 bed property for 2 adults. I am not able to get anything cheaper other than council and I do not have a need (with not being homeless) to get a council property.

Also, I am aware of the rates going down as stated in my above post. But why am I being told the LHA rates have been changed by the government in Dec 2012 but elsewhere it states they will remain the same from April 2012 until March 2013?

The LHA rates will have changed FOR YOU in Dec 2012. There was some protection put in lace for existing claimants. Dec 2012 will have been the end of that protection.

HappyMJ

RaspberryJelly wrote: »

Where I live this is the going rate for a 2 bed property for 2 adults. I am not able to get anything cheaper other than council and I do not have a need (with not being homeless) to get a council property.

Also, I am aware of the rates going down as stated in my above post. But why am I being told the LHA rates have been changed by the government in Dec 2012 but elsewhere it states they will remain the same from April 2012 until March 2013?

The LHA rate is set so that 30% of properties in your BRMA (broad rental market area) are under the LHA rate. You may live in an expensive part of your BRMA. You can see the map they use on the VOA website. https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx

RaspberryJelly_2

Thank you for the replies guys, I appreciate any help

lighting_up_the_chalice wrote: »

The LHA rates will have changed FOR YOU in Dec 2012. There was some protection put in lace for existing claimants. Dec 2012 will have been the end of that protection.

I am appreciative of the help I receive (help towards rent) but so wish they were more helpful and would actually explain better down my local office. No one there told me it was bcause of this 'protection' and had this been explained to me by them then maybe I wouldn't have needed to make this thread.

HappyMJ wrote: »

The LHA rate is set so that 30% of properties in your BRMA (broad rental market area) are under the LHA rate. You may live in an expensive part of your BRMA. You can see the map they use on the VOA website.

I guess we may have to look at moving to a cheaper town at some point. Even 2 bed flats in my area are at least £500 per month.

HappyMJ

RaspberryJelly wrote: »

I guess we may have to look at moving to a cheaper town at some point. Even 2 bed flats in my area are at least £500 per month.

That's only £25 a month more than your LHA rate. Instead of asking your child for £50 (the non dependant deduction) you can up it to £75 a month and you will be no worse off....or you could go halves on it and ask for £62.50 a month.

RaspberryJelly_2

HappyMJ wrote: »

That's only £25 a month more than your LHA rate. Instead of asking your child for £50 (the non dependant deduction) you can up it to £75 a month and you will be no worse off....or you could go halves on it and ask for £62.50 a month.

Thanks HappyMJ we will definitely have to work something out to cover the extra cost.

I am just glad I now know that the non dependant deduction is taken from the max LHA allowance and not the actual rent, that's where I was going wrong and getting in a muddle. Now I know why I got the new letter in December.

Thanks again!