Housing and Council Tax Benefits.
Residents on low incomes or in receipt of other means-tested benefits may be entitled to financial assistance with their council tax or rent costs.
This page will direct you to information to help you find which benefits you may be entitled to receive and how to apply for them.
Council Tax Benefit - provides financial support to help low income households meet their council tax bills.
Housing Benefit - provides financial support for low income households to meet their rent costs.
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The fortnightly Housing Benefit payment run due week commencing 26 December 2011 will be paid a week early (i.e. week commencing 19 December 2011). If your Housing Benefit is paid by BACS, your payment should be in your account by 23 December 2011. Payment by cheque will be posted 1st Class on 20 December 2011. The next interim payment run will be on 3 January 2012, with BACS payments showing in accounts by 6 January 2012. The following scheduled fortnightly/4 weekly payment run is due week commencing 9 January 2012. This means if you receive your Housing Benefit every 2 weeks, you will be paid week commencing 19 December 2011 and again week commencing 9 January 2012, and as a result there will be a 3 week interval between your payments over the Christmas and New Year period.
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The Government are introducing important changes to the Housing Benefit and Local Housing Allowance schemes from 1 January 2012. These changes will affect single claimants under the age of 35. What is changing? From 1 January 2012, anyone under 35 who is single and has no dependant children living with them will only be entitled to the Shared Accommodation Rate of Local Housing Allowance even if they occupy a larger property. The Shared Accommodation Rates for Hart (based on the Local Housing Allowance Rates for December 2011) are: Weekly Monthly Blackwater Valley - £72.50 £314.17 Basingstoke - £63.50 £275.17 Reading - £73.85 £320.02 How will this change affect you?
If you receive Housing Benefit under the old rules (i.e. you made your claim prior to 7 April 2008 and have not moved address since that date), you will move onto the Shared Accommodation Rate from your next annual review date.
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From 1 April 2011, a number of changes are being made to the Local Housing Allowance Scheme. The main changes are:
These changes will affect people who already receive Housing Benefit, as well as new claims made on or after 1 April 2011. You may already have received a letter explaining these changes, but if you would like more information about how they will affect you, please follow the link below Broad Rental Market Areas The boundaries of the Blackwater Valley and Basingstoke Broad Rental Market Areas are changing from 1 April 2011. This will not affect most people receiving benefit from us, but if you want to check which Broad Rental Market Area your property is in, you can check the LHA Direct website using the link below. Non-Dependant Deductions A non dependant is someone aged 18 or over, who normally lives with you but is not liable to make any payments in respect of the dwelling. From 1 April 2011, if you have a non-dependant living with you, the amount we deduct from your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit entitlements will increase. You should already have received a letter notifying you of your Housing and Council Tax Benefit entitlements from April 2011, including details of the new deductions, but if you would like more information, please follow the link below If you have any questions or would like more information regarding any of these changes, you can contact the Benefits Team by:
8:30am - 5:00pm (Monday to Thursday)
8.30am - 4.45pm (Monday - Thursday)
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