Housing Benefit

Bryando

With the changes in Housing benefit coming I have a question.

We as a couple occupy a 2 bedroom house at roughly just over £200 per month.

As our rent is low will have to come up with the difference when the new regulations take force?

Also the government said their will be a max amount of benefit paid weekly, does this include housing benefit, council tax benefit?

iluvmarmite

If you recieve max HB now and are under occupying (which you are if you have no kids) then you will no longer recieve the full amount from April, you will have to pay 14% yourself, no matter how low your rent is.

Everyone is now going to have to pay something towards their council tax, even those on benefits and low income, how much you have to pay varies between each council, some areas could be a fiver a week, other areas could be more or less.

daimonde

The changes to Housing Benefit are for social housing only, not private landlords, private properties are covered by Local Housing Allowance, not the 'bedroom tax', so it depends who your landlord is as to whether you're affected or not.

And no, not everyone will have to pay Council Tax, it does very much depend on your circumstances, some councils are absorbing the costs, some are limiting the impact, id suggest looking up your councils website for this.

to give an example, my council are paying a max of 78% Council Tax Support (Benefit), which is the approx a fiver a week for most, but people we class as vulnerable will be exempt from the changes.

the 'vulnerable' angle varies council to council too, some see it on individual basis, some a straight off means test based on benefits.


....I think, wouldnt swear to it & im sure someone can confirm, that Scotland are covering the costs with Council Tax Benefit / Support.

Morlock

Bryando wrote: »

Also the government said their will be a max amount of benefit paid weekly, does this include housing benefit, council tax benefit?

The benefit cap will include housing benefit but not council tax benefit.

BigAunty

The council tax changes from April this year whereby a local council will be forced to revise how some discounts are applied and which means some people who have received a full one may no longer get this, doesn't apply in Scotland where the OP is based.

iluvmarmite

Sorry if I gave the wrong info on council tax, I was just going by a letter I received from them a few months ago stating that everyone will have to pay something but they hadn't worked out at that time what amount would have to be paid.

I just assumed it was the same for every council but I guess it's not