Shared Bedroom Rate/Housing Benefit Amount?

waz1989

Hi guys, never posted anything on this site in a long time, but i am in need of some advice, i basically need some information regarding housing benefit. Okay so ive recently just lost my job, but thankfully i worked for 2 years without a day off and i saved up a nice lump sum of money. however my dads now selling the home we live in and his going his own separate way, which means i need a new place to live in for myself. the two choices for me are social housing or private renting, i guess from the research ive done private renting will be the quicker option, as long as you can pay a deposit etc.. but i am confused to hell as to how much housing benefit i am entitled to. some websites say one figure. other websites tell me another. my details are as followed. i am 28 years old. male. single and have no children. so how much housing benefit am i entitled for if i go private? also how much would i be entitled for if i choose to get a place for myself from the council? do they pay all the rent? ive attempted to use online calculators. and they all give me different figures. some say it depends where you live. so each postcode will give you a different amount of help with the rent. any information regarding this would be great. thank you

Hoogle

local housing could be upto 5 years wait depending on if you qualify or not, certain things will give you a priority. As for private renting then that may be just as hard as most landlords do a 4 x monthly rent monthly income as affordability check. Meaning that if you wanted to rent a £500 a month flat you need to have a £2000 a month income.

You may be lucky to find a landlord that will deal with you directly and will determin if you can afford it via interview, But also be careful with not using a fully legit landlord as to regards to deposit etc as much as their are some nice genuine landlords that are prepared to waive some fees and cut the price to help out tenants there are probably more rogue ones so make sure you get a feel for them just as much as trying to get them on your side....

elsien

Single person with no dependents and no additional needs will not get you social housing in most areas unless you are willing to wait years.

Depending on the level of your savings you may not get any housing benefit at all. If you are eligible, the payable rates depend on your council area.

Try this link for your area.
https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx

No one can answer your questions on the information given. First to be answered is how much savings do you have?

waz1989

thank you for the reply. i saved around like 3k, which is what i meant. i can comfortably pay for deposits and any fees if i go private. but the issue is as im under 35 and single and no children. i dont know if i would get enough housing benefit help, but i presume thats why a lot of people have to top up their rent with their own money?

waz1989

on the website it says "Select how many bedrooms you are entitled to under LHA." so do i put shared accommodation" or "1 bedroom" ?

elsien

If you're under 35 it will most likely be the shared accommodation rate for private rentals.
You might also need to check if you're in a universal credit area. Are you claiming UC or JSA?

waz1989

claiming JSA right now

elsien

Ok, it's probably HB then, and your savings aren't enough to affect it.

You could still ask to put your name down for social housing, but in areas such as London where demand is huge they may refuse to put you on the list. Either way you could be waiting for years.

You might find it helpful to make an appointment with a local housing officer who can give you a clearer idea of where you stand and what help (if any) they can give. They would also have more idea of what you would get. Work on the shared rate for now to see what's available and how much you'd need to top it up.
Some councils offer bond or guarantee schemes - if you're not working it's going to be harder to find a private landlord to take you on. Offering rent in advance, if you are able, or having a guarantor will help.

waz1989

thank you