What is Housing Benefit?
Housing Benefit is a payment to help you cover the cost of your rent if you have a low income. It is administered and paid by your Local Authority. In Manchester it is dealt with by the Benefits Service (external website), which is part of Manchester City Council. Housing Benefit can cover the full amount of your rent, or a part of your rent.
From the 2nd November 2009 Child Benefit will be ignored when working out housing benefit or Council tax benefit.
You could be entitled to more money if you already claim (The benefit service will automatically work this out and let you know ). Or you may have made a claim before and not been entitled so it would be worth trying to claim again.
Local Housing Allowance
If you are a private tenant renting property or a room from a private landlord, and you are on a low income, you may be entitled to claim and receive Local Housing Allowance from 7th April 2008.
Local Housing Allowance is a new way of calculating Housing Benefit and is based on the area the customer lives, number of occupiers in the property and household size. Local Housing Allowance is a much fairer way of calculating Housing Benefit, as it ensures that tenants in similar circumstances in the same area receive the same amount of financial support for their housing costs.
How do these changes affect those on Housing Benefit?
It you are already on Housing Benefit you will not be affected unless you change address and move into accommodation rented from a private landlord then you will be moved onto Local Housing Allowance. If you are already on Housing Benefit and there is a shortfall between your Housing Benefit award and your contractual rent, you might find that you would get more Housing Benefit under Local Housing Allowance. If this applies to you, you may wish to consider ending your current claim for Housing Benefit and submitting a new claim for Housing Benefit to take advantage of Local Housing Allowance. Get advice before proceeding with this.
How is Local Housing Allowance calculated?
The LHA rates are calculated for individual areas, known as Broad Market Rental Areas, each month. The amount payable will be based on the ‘middle of the range' rental figure for the area which the property is in and will take account of the size of the property.
How much will you get?
If the rent of the property you have negotiated with your landlord is lower than the Local Housing Allowance rate you will be able to keep any excess benefit up to a maximum of £15 per week. This excess will not normally be taken into account when deciding other benefits. If the rent is higher than the LHA rate you will be required to pay the difference or look for alternative accommodation within the LHA rates.
How is Local Housing Allowance paid?
The payment will normally be made to you straight to your bank or building society account or by cheque.
It is up to you to pay the rent to your landlord. If you don't pay rent, you may be taken to court and evicted from the property.
If you are worried about managing your money, in certain circumstances you can ask the Benefits Service to pay the Local Housing Allowance directly to your landlord. Contact the Benefits Service for more information.
Where are the rates published?
Local Housing Allowance rates will be published at the end of each month for the following month. For example, the April rates will be made available at the end of March. You can pick up a rates chart from the Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit customer counter or download the details from our LHA rates page. Alternatively you can visit the Rent Service website
The rules about Housing Benefit can be complicated, if you are unsure whether you can get Housing Benefit or if you have a problem with an existing claim, get advice.
Some facts about Housing Benefit
- You don't have to be on benefits to claim Housing Benefit
- Your savings could affect the amount of Housing Benefit you are awarded
- Housing Benefit can be paid to people living in mobile homes or B&Bs
- There may be some charges included in your rent that Housing Benefit does not cover eg meals, laundry, TV rental and licence
- You might be able to get the start date of your Housing Benefit backdated if you had a good reason for claiming late
- Your Housing Benefit claim could be affected if someone aged 18 or over lives with you who is not your partner (known as a non-dependant)
- In some circumstances you may be able to get extra money (called Discretionary Housing Payments) if your Housing Benefit does not cover all your rent
- If there is a delay in processing your Housing Benefit claim you may be able to get an interim payment of payment on account. Get advice
Finding out how much Housing Benefit you could get (Manchester tenants)
Manchester Housing has a Benefit calculator (external link) on its website. You can use it to find out whether you can get Housing Benefit (and Council Tax Benefit) and, if so, roughly how much. Please note: if you are the tenant of a private landlord, your maximum Housing Benefit may be restricted by the Rent Officer. Get advice on finding out about your entitlement.
Online forms available for residents of Manchester
The Benefits Service has a number of forms (external website) that are available over the Internet. These include:
- Benefit enquiry form
- Making an appointment to see the someone from the benefits unit
Information on other websites
Manchester City Council
Information from the Benefits Service (Manchester)
Shelter
General information about Housing Benefit including information for young people and dealing with problems
Adviceguide
Information about Housing Benefit from Citizens Advice
Department for Work and Pensions
Information from the Government about Housing Benefit
Need more help? Live in Manchester? Send us an email
Information Provider:
Manchester Advice
Date Reviewed:
22 June 2009
Links Updated:
13 January 2010
This information is for guidance only and is not an authoritative statement on the law. Please read our Terms and Conditions.
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