DSS help please

al_pacino

Does anyone know where on the web can i work out how much the dss would pay towards private renting ? thankyou

margaretclare

Try this:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/housing_benefit.asp#howmuch

As you can see, there isn't a simple answer 'how much' - it depends on a lot of things.

Aunty Margaret

al_pacino

thankyou very much

Ted_Hutchinson

EntitledTo - your guide to benefits and tax credits

Will give you an idea in relation to the rent and your current income.

Rooms calculator will give you an idea of whether or not the property you are renting is an appropriate size for your family.

Housing benefit - Help the Aged is a readable summary of the benefit.

If you enter your local authority and Housing benefit caculator in a Google searchbar you will probably find your own local authority has a calculator to give you an idea.

dag_2

Does anyone know where on the web can i work out how much the dss would pay towards private renting ? thankyou

It also depends which local authority area you are planning to rent in. If you're planning to move into private rented accommodation in Argyll & Bute, Blackpool, Brighton and Hove, Conwy, Coventry, East Riding of Yorkshire, Edinburgh, Leeds, Lewisham, North East Lincs, St Helens, Teignbridge or Wandsworth, you won't get Housing Benefit. Instead, you'll get Local Housing Allowance.

The amount of local housing allowance you'd get will be the eligible housing allowance, minus the taper for your income and savings.

The eligible housing allowance depends on two things - (1) the number of rooms you're entitled to according to Ted Hutchinson's Rooms Calculator link, and (2) the postcode of the property you want to move into.

The housing allowance levels for different rooms and postcodes are publicly available, and can usually be found on the local authority's web site. If you can't find them, then just phone them up.

Unlike housing benefit, your actual rent doesn't affect your housing allowance.

If you're in receipt of income support, or income based jobseeker's allowance, then the taper will be zero - so you will receive the full eligible housing allowance. Otherwise, the taper will be worked out in the same way as housing benefit tapers.

This means it's possible to work out exactly how much benefit you'll get for a particular address before you even sign the tenancy agreement. You don't have to apply for Pre-Tenancy Determinations, you don't have to tell the landlord that you plan to claim benefit - and, provided that you don't go more than two months in arrears with your rent, your landlord has no way of knowing whether you're receiving benefit or not.

If you have a choice between moving to a housing benefit area or a local housing allowance area, then I'd recommend you choose the LHA area.

(this does not constitute legal advice)