housing problems please help

dmg24

SquatNow wrote: »

OK, let me correct my post. The local council pays the HB/LHA, not the DSS.

The rest is 100% correct.

The DSS has not existed for several years now, it became the DWP.

SquatNow

dmg24 wrote: »

The DSS has not existed for several years now, it became the DWP.

It's the local council that handle it anyway.

Either way, my point is still valid. LHA has slashed the amount people on benefits can pay in rent. it doesn't matter how much the landlord want to charge, if people can't afford it rents will drop or landlords will have long voids.

Everyone knows my personal opinion on what will happen.

dmg24

SquatNow wrote: »

It's the local council that handle it anyway.

Either way, my point is still valid. LHA has slashed the amount people on benefits can pay in rent. it doesn't matter how much the landlord want to charge, if people can't afford it rents will drop or landlords will have long voids.

Everyone knows my personal opinion on what will happen.

So you admit that you were wrong?

LHA has not slashed the potential amount that people can claim. In some areas the potential amount is less, but in some areas it is considerably more!

single_mother_needs_help

i dont understand some of the abbrieviations there LHA? and BTL?

no, i dont know where the father is.

on the place im in now, im under the old system. they pay the majority for me, and i pay a small top up.

by the sounds of it, if i said yes to this 3bed place (the only place willing to rent to me) they will pay the maximum possible from the 2bed fund, and i will have to come up with the rest of the money, and if i cant, i get kicked out. am i understanding right?

the council housing place wont help me, they wont even help me with a deposit, i dont know how i am going to get me and my son a bigger place

real1314

SquatNow wrote: »

It's the local council that handle it anyway.

Either way, my point is still valid. LHA has slashed the amount people on benefits can pay in rent. it doesn't matter how much the landlord want to charge, if people can't afford it rents will drop or landlords will have long voids.

Everyone knows my personal opinion on what will happen.

Have you heard of the Rent Officer (RO)? Under the HB scheme, prior to LHA, all private rental cases were referred to the rent officer to consider what level of rent could be paid based on the size of the household, the local average rent etc. They weren't just "paid" regardless of the amount.
Much like LHA. In fact almost exactly like it.

The main differences between LHA and HB/RO are that a tenant can keep any LHA in excess of their rent up to £15 a week AND that the "local area" is a much wider area than previously used.

This is actually likely to push rent allowances UP.

How? Well, take districts of Manchester for example. Under HB/RO individual areas were set their own level. But most of the "luxury" / pricey flats were not within many areas, especially not the "cheaper" ones.
The LHA "areas" for Manchester are now basically 1 area covering all of the city area, plus a few other outlying areas - Middleton and Failsworth for a start.

So a lot of the cheaper areas are having their average rent boosted by the expensive city centre flats.

For example, the local reference rent for NE Greater Manchester was £82 for 2 rooms, £96 for 3.

The LHA level for 2 beds is £103.85, 3 beds is £121.15.

So, what were you saying? What agenda were you trying to justify?

bobsa1

i don't mean to sound harsh but sharing your one bedroomed flat with a small baby, whilst difficult isn't the end of the world.

Lots of babies of older than 9months still sleep in Mum or Dad's room even in larger properties.

The most important thing in any childs life is a loving parent not necessarily there own room.

PasturesNew

You can find out how much LHA is in your area here:
https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx
And
https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk/Secure/LHASearchIntro.aspx


Remember there are 4.3 weeks in a month, the figure they give you is a weekly amount.

real1314

single_mother_needs_help wrote: »

i dont understand some of the abbrieviations there LHA? and BTL?

no, i dont know where the father is.

on the place im in now, im under the old system. they pay the majority for me, and i pay a small top up.

by the sounds of it, if i said yes to this 3bed place (the only place willing to rent to me) they will pay the maximum possible from the 2bed fund, and i will have to come up with the rest of the money, and if i cant, i get kicked out. am i understanding right?

the council housing place wont help me, they wont even help me with a deposit, i dont know how i am going to get me and my son a bigger place

You can look here: https://lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk/Secure/LHASearchIntro.aspx

to find out the amount you would be able to get in the area where you are.

single_mother_needs_help

bobsa1 wrote: »

i don't mean to sound harsh but sharing your one bedroomed flat with a small baby, whilst difficult isn't the end of the world.

Lots of babies of older than 9months still sleep in Mum or Dad's room even in larger properties.

The most important thing in any childs life is a loving parent not necessarily there own room.

i dont think i said it was the end of the world :rolleyes:

im aware that some babies stay with there parent(s) a long time. but for me personally, i feel its in his interest to have his own room at some point soon. i dont think im going to get somewhere overnight, thats why im looking now, as i know it wont be very easy.

i dont think it is unreasonable for me to be looking for a bigger propperty.

RE the dog. i really wont be able to bring myself to do it, she keeps me sane at times lol. and i personally dont think there is anything wrong with bringing a child up with pets

BobProperty

I've cut and pasted this from my LA (since SquatNow is talking bollards again)
If you claim Housing Benefit after the 7th April 2008 and you rent your home from a Private Landlord your benefit entitlement will usually be decided by the Local Housing Allowance scheme. Under this scheme the amount of Housing Benefit you get will be based on the number of bedrooms your family requires.
We will allow you one bedroom for each of the following, counting each person once only, in the first group they come into:

• A couple who live together
• Someone who is 16 or over
• Two children of the same sex who are under 16
• Two children who are younger than 10
• A child under 16

If you are under 25 and live alone, or if you live in a property where you share a kitchen and bathroom with other people who are not part of your family, you will normally be entitled to the ‘Shared Rate’ of Local Housing Allowance.

Remember that this is the maximum benefit you can get. Your actual entitlement may be lower if you or anyone else in your household has income or savings above certain levels.
If you rent a property which is more expensive than the amount of benefit you are entitled to then you will have to pay the extra yourself. If you rent a property which is cheaper than the amount of benefit that you are entitled to you will be allowed to keep any extra benefit, up to a maximum of £15 per week.