Housing Benefit is administered by your Local Authority who use national Regulations and guidance to determine entitlement.

Basic Conditions

• you are liable to pay rent for accommodation under a 'commercial arrangement'.
• your landlord is not a close relative with whom you are living.
• you normally occupy the accommodation as your home.
• you do not have savings/capital of more than £16,000 (unless you are receiving the guarantee credit of Pension Credit, in which case there is no capital limit).

Note that unlike Income Support, you are not excluded if you or your partner work full-time.

How Much?

If you receive Income Support, Pension Credit, Guarantee Credit or Income Based Jobseekers Allowance then you will receive maximum Housing Benefit.

If you do not receive Income Support then maximum Housing Benefit will be reduced by 65 pence for every £1 income over the "applicable amount" figure. This is very similar to the Income Support applicable amount calculation but also includes amounts fro families and children.

But ... Maximum Housing Benefit does not cover many additional charges such as:

• Fuel
• Water Rates
• Personal laundry services

But also ... The Rent Officer will reduce the level of rent considered if s/he thinks the property is either too big for your family or significantly more expensive than the landlord could reasonably be expected to charge.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA)

From April 2008 new claims for most privately rented accommodation are subject to the LHA regulations

The maximum amount of LHA is calculated in the same as for normal Housing Benefit but the amount of benefit that can be paid is determined by:

1. The number of bedrooms the claimant (and their family) require
2. The area where the claimant lives

However single claimants under the age of 25 will only be entitled to the rent for a single room in shared accommodation, except if they:

1. have a Severe Disability Premium in their applicable amount OR
2. are under 22 and were “looked after” by the local authority.

To find out the LHA for your area and the number of bedrooms you the Local Housing Allowance website.

For more information on Housing Benefit visit www.direct.gov.uk

To claim Housing Benefit contact your local council, but if you are making a claim for another benefit like Employment & Support Allowance you can register a claim for Housing Benefit at the same time.