Are you 25 to 34 years old and do you live alone in self contained accommodation?
The Government is introducing changes that extend the age group for people whose Housing Benefit is restricted to a Shared Accommodation Rate if they live alone in self-contained accommodation.
The restriction currently applies to people under the age of 25 but from 1 January 2012 the age limit will increase to include people under the age of 35.
The restriction to a Shared Accommodation Rate is likely to apply to you if you live alone in self-accommodation, are under 35-years-old and your Housing Benefit is worked out using a Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate or a Rent Officer Decision.
Your Housing Benefit will be restricted to a Shared Accommodation Rate if all of the following apply to you:
- You live alone in self-contained accommodation, and
- You rent from a private landlord, and
- Your LHA Rate or Rent Officer Decision is due to be reviewed on or after 1 January 2012, and
- On the date of your review you are 25-years-old or over but are under 35-years-old, and
- You do not qualify for an exemption from a Shared Accommodation Rate
If all of the above apply to you on or after 1 January 2012 you are likely to move to a Shared Accommodation Rate from the date your LHA rate or Rent Officer Decision changes.
If your Housing Benefit is worked out using a Rent Officer Decision we cannot tell you the exact amount that will apply to you from the date your decision changes. However, it is likely to be much lower than the decision that is currently used to work out your Housing Benefit.
If your Housing Benefit is worked out using an LHA rate, the Shared Accommodation Rates that apply in Haringey from 1 April 2013 are shown in the table below.
Shared Accommodation Rate 1 April 2013 - 31 March 2014
Inner North London BRMA | Outer North London BRMA |
|---|---|
£90.45 | £83.80 |
BRMA = Broad Rental Market Area
If you want further information about these changes and how they may apply to you please visit the Direct Gov website or contact us.
You can also use the Direct Gov bedroom calculator to see if the Shared Accommodation Rate is likely to apply to you.
If the Shared Accommodation Rate does apply to you, see the LHA tables (PDF, 18KB) to check when your Housing Benefit is likely to change.
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