What's New in Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Changes to Housing Benefit from April 2011
See information on the Changes to Housing Benefit from April 2011.
PROPOSED GOVERNMENT CHANGES TO HOUSING BENEFIT FROM JANUARY 2012
If you are single and under 35
The Government is planning to change the rules that apply to single people living in self-contained accommodation and aged 25 or more, but under 35. This means that they will only be entitled to the lower rate of Housing Benefit for a room in shared accommodation.
In practice, this means that
- single claimants under age 35 making new claims to HB on or after1 January 2012 will be entitled to the shared accommodation rate rather than the one-bedroom self-contained rate
- existing claimants at that date who are receiving transitional protection from the April 2011 LHA changes will move to the shared accommodation rate at the same time as their transitional protection ceases
- existing claimants not receiving transitional protection, i.e. those whose claims are made on or after 1 April 2011 but before 1 January 2012, will move to the shared accommodation rate on the anniversary date of their claim
- pre-LHA cases will move to the shared accommodation rate (previously known as the single room rent) on the annual review of their case