Does HB change to LHA if circumstances change?

Fred1_2

Well there's an election coming up on 1 May, maybe time to talk to some of your local councillors. Nothing focuses their minds like a forthcoming election

real1314

Bungarm2001 wrote: »

Fred1...they haven't...yet!

Mostly their website is down or the relevant pages are under construction.

They aren't the quickest of councils, nor are they the most helpful to LL's and tenants alike. :mad:

We thought it would be an easy thing for her to switch over from HB since the AST ran out mid-March. We were quite happy to leave her in the house rent free if it came to it until the 7th April, when we would have started a new AST with her getting LHA, or so we thought. Whoever she spoke to at the council told her it was no-go. Therefore, we have left her on a periodic tenancy until we can get this sorted out.

You don't need the council website for it, it's available here:-

https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx

You need to check the rooms issue as that has changed slightly, and then look at the level if LHA for the number of rooms you are eligible for.

Any change to rent would not trigger LHA, as it would continue until the current rent officer decision expires (they last 12 months, generally synchronised to the date of moving in/first date of claim).

lil_me

Remember when calculating, a family which were entitled to a certain amount of rooms may be allocated a different amount of bedrooms. In a lot of cases where they say were entitled to for example 4 rooms for a family of 4 inc 2 same sex children, they are now entitled to 2 bedrooms, due to this some payments in some areas have dropped a lot, in my area by over £20 per week. Changing the rent due wouldn't usually count as a change in circumstances, IS ending if they were to take a job for even one day etc would but that would mean reclaiming anything and it could take months.

Bungarm2001

real1314 wrote: »

You don't need the council website for it, it's available here:-

https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx

You need to check the rooms issue as that has changed slightly, and then look at the level if LHA for the number of rooms you are eligible for.

Any change to rent would not trigger LHA, as it would continue until the current rent officer decision expires (they last 12 months, generally synchronised to the date of moving in/first date of claim).

Many thanks for that..knew about the change of rent not triggering LHA but didn't know about that very useful website! :T

WellWisher_2

Benefits_Blagger wrote: »

Anyone already on HB or claimed for HB before the 7th April, will still get HB unless they are better off on LHA. Claimants remain on HB until LHA pay a greater amount, at which point they will be transferred to LHA.

Have just read on an official web-site that states that the government will not consider transferring pre-7th April '08 Housing Benefit claimants over to the new LHA rules until at least April 2010. So even if anyone would be better off on the new rules they will not be allowed to transfer unless they break their current claim.

Regards,

WellWisher.

SquatNow

Most people WITHOUT children will be far WORSE off on LHA.

Once LHA has bedded in, expect the government to bring forward the change from 2010 to late 2008 in order to cut costs.

Which is what LHA was created for... to reduce costs.

dmg24

SquatNow wrote: »

Most people WITHOUT children will be far WORSE off on LHA.

Once LHA has bedded in, expect the government to bring forward the change from 2010 to late 2008 in order to cut costs.

Which is what LHA was created for... to reduce costs.

Care to quote any figures to back up your information, or are you just scaremongering again?

The amount of misinformation on this thread is scary. real1314, lil_me and WellWisher have provider accurate information, the rest should really be treated with a pinch of salt (read: ignored).

silvercar

WellWisher wrote: »

Have just read on an official web-site that states that the government will not consider transferring pre-7th April '08 Housing Benefit claimants over to the new LHA rules until at least April 2010. So even if anyone would be better off on the new rules they will not be allowed to transfer unless they break their current claim.

Regards,

WellWisher.

Not sure if this is happening in practice. I know of at least one person suffering delays in payment of rent because the application to go onto LHA (an increase on HB in that area/ circumstance) has not been sorted in time.

SquatNow

dmg24 wrote: »

Care to quote any figures to back up your information, or are you just scaremongering again?

The amount of misinformation on this thread is scary. real1314, lil_me and WellWisher have provider accurate information, the rest should really be treated with a pinch of salt (read: ignored).

What? You think the government changed the existing, functioning system in an attempt to make it so people receive more money than they currently do?

No offense, but.... are you on drugs? (And can I have some?)