Who will not be affected by Local Housing Allowance?
Local Housing Allowance will not apply to you if:
- You rent your home from the council.
- You rent your home from a registered provider, for example, a registered housing association.
- You live in supported housing provided by a housing association or registered charity or voluntary organisation.
- You live in a caravan, houseboat or hostel.
- A substantial part of your rent is for board and attendance, for example, if you live in hotel accommodation.
- Your tenancy is protected from rent restrictions, for example, tenancies which were entered into before January 1989.
If any of the above circumstances apply to you, your Housing Benefit will continue to be worked out under the current rules.
The Local Housing Allowance rates will be set each year by the Valuation Office Agency. There will be different Local Housing Allowance rates for:
- shared accommodation (this will apply to most single people under the age of 35).
- 1 bedroom property.
- 2 bedroom property.
- 3 bedroom property.
- 4 bedroom property (this is the highest rate you can get even if your family requires a property with more bedrooms).
Special rules for single people over 35 and couples with no children.
Single people over the age of 35 and couples with no children will only be allowed the 1 bedroom Local Housing Allowance rate if they actually rent a property of at least this size. If these people are living in accommodation where they share facilities like a living room, kitchen or bathroom, they will only be allowed the Local Housing Allowance rate for shared accommodation.
The Local Housing Allowance rates are published on: Website: www.doncaster.gov.uk/ so that landlords and prospective tenants are clear about the maximum amount of rent Housing Benefit will cover.
Payment of Local Housing Allowance
Under the Local Housing Allowance rules the payment will normally be sent to you. You will then be responsible for paying your rent to your landlord. It is very important that you do this so that you do not lose your home. If you are evicted from your home because you have not paid the rent to your landlord, you may find it very difficult to find other accommodation. Also, you may have to pay court costs on top of the rent arrears you owe and the Housing Benefit will not be paid directly to you if you make a claim at another address.
It is possible to have your Housing Benefit paid directly to your landlord if:
- your landlord sets or reduces the rent to the Local Housing Allowance rate so you can live there.
- you want the payment to made in this way.
If the decision is made to pay your landlord directly your circumstances will be reviewed regularly to check it is still appropriate to pay your landlord.
If you are already claiming Housing Benefit...
Remember, Local Housing Allowance will not apply to you unless you move or have a break in your Housing Benefit and make a new claim.
All the changes to LHA rates will affect new Housing Benefit claimants from 1st April 2011.
Further Information
If you have any more questions about Local Housing Allowance and how it affects you please contact your local benefits office. You can also get further general information about Local Housing Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions'
Website: www.direct.gov.uk
This website gives more information about Local Housing Allowance.
For more information contact:
Doncaster Council
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Section
3rd Floor
Colonnades House
Duke Street
Doncaster
DN1 1ER
Tel: 01302 735 336 (general enquiries)
Minicom: 01302 735 322
E-mail: housing.benefit@doncaster.gov.uk (general enquiries only)
Website: www.doncaster.gov.uk
Open: Counter on ground floor of Colonnades House is open Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm.
DIAL Disclaimer
Whilst all the information given in this document was correct at the time of going to press, DIAL Doncaster cannot be held responsible for any subsequent changes.
