LOCAL HOUSING ALLOWANCE

We will be introducing a new form of Housing Benefit called Local Housing Allowance from 7th April 2008.  This is for tenants who rent properties from private landlords. Several Local Authorities have already implemented and tested the scheme.

What is Local Housing Allowance?

Local Housing Allowance is a new way of working out Housing Benefit, and is for people on a low income who rent from private landlords.  Local Housing allowance is based on the number of rooms people are allowed (the number of rooms depends who lives with the tenant), not how much the rent is and in which area the person lives.  Our Local Authority will be divided into three Broad Rental Market Areas, Rent Officers will set individual Local Housing Allowance rates for each area.  We will publish these figures on our website and around the district.

Broad Rental Market Areas and Local Housing Allowance Rates

As previously stated, Hart District Council is divided into three Broad Market Rental Areas (BRMAs). Which Broad Rental Market Area an address falls into is determined by the postcode. To find out the Broad Rental Market Area a property is in, please click on the link below:

lha-direct.therentservice.gov.uk

The Local Housing Allowance rates are determined by the Broad Rental Market Area a property falls into and the number of bedrooms required by the household. The Rent Service will review Local Housing Allowance rates on a monthly basis. The Local Housing Allowance rates applied when calculating Housing Benefit entitlement will be dependant on the date the claim is received or treated as being received.

The Local Housing Allowance rates for August 2008 are as follows:

Blackwater Valley

Basingstoke

Reading

The rates will be available on our website about  a week prior to the beginning of the month.

You can use the following information as a guide to work out how many bedrooms you are entitled to.

You are entitled to one bedroom for:

• every adult couple (married or unmarried)
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any two children of the same sex aged under 16
• any two children aged under 10
• any other child.

There are extra rules if you are:

• aged 25 or over, single and do not live with any dependants;  
• aged under 25, single and do not live with any dependants;  
• a couple and do not live with any dependants;
• living in shared accommodation;r
• a care leaver aged under 22;  
• are severely disabled;
• a joint tenant.

This may affect the benefit you can get. For more information about this, please get in touch with us.on 01252 774444 or by email benefit@hart.gov.uk  

Further Information

You can get further information on Local Housing Allowance from:

Hart District Council

Benefits Section, Civic Offices, Harlington Way, Fleet, Hants GU51 4AE.

Tel: 01252 774444

Department of Work and Pensions

Housing Support Division, 5^th Floor, Adelphi, 1 – 11 John Adam Street, London WC2 6HT.

Website: www.dwp.gov.uk