Local Housing Allowance Rates 2012
How much Local Housing Allowance you may get depends on:
- Where you live
- Who lives with you, their age and gender
- How much money you have coming in
- What savings you have
- How much rent you are charged
To work out how much you may get you need to know how many
bedrooms you are allowed. 1 bedroom is allowed for:
- Each adult couple
- Any other person (aged 16 or over)
- Any two children of the same sex aged under 16
- Any two children aged under 10
- Any other child
The number of bedrooms you are allowed may not necessarily be
the same as the number of bedrooms actually in your property
A shared room rate applies to:
- Single people under 25
- Single people over 25 without children and non dependants who
share facilities with other people who are not members of the same
household
- Couples without children and non dependants who share
facilities with other people who are not members of the same
household.
The rates shown below should help you to work out the
maximum rent figure which is used to calculate
your benefit entitlement. The maximum rent figure used to
work out your benefit can be no more than £15.00 above the rent you
are charged. The amount of benefit you are entitled to will
be affected by the income and capital you receive.
South Lakeland is split into 2 areas with the boundary at
Greenodd. Kendal, Sedbergh, Lakes, Kirkby Lonsdale and Grange fall
in the Kendal area whereas Ulverston, Broughton in Furness and
Swarthmoor are in the Barrow area.
The weekly rates below are valid from 1 February
2012 until 29 February 2012
|
Number of
bedrooms
|
Kendal
(£)
|
Barrow
(£)
|
|
Shared Accommodation
|
63.50
|
58.50
|
|
1 bedroom
|
98.08
|
75.00
|
|
2 bedrooms
|
121.15
|
88.85
|
|
3 bedrooms
|
144.23
|
109.62
|
|
4 bedrooms
|
183.23
|
137.31
|
The monthly rates below are valid from
1 February
2012 until 29 February
2012
|
Number of
bedrooms
|
Kendal
(£)
|
Barrow
(£)
|
|
Shared Accommodation
|
275.17
|
253.50
|
|
1 bedroom
|
425.01
|
325.00
|
|
2 bedrooms
|
524.98
|
385.02
|
|
3 bedrooms
|
625.00
|
475.02
|
|
4 bedrooms
|
794.00
|
595.01
|
To view Local Housing Allowance Rates from other areas
please visit the Rent Service Local Housing Allowance website
Safeguard Policy
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has introduced LHA
to provide tenants with more choice and responsibility about where
they live and how they manage their own finances. The two main
features of the scheme are:
- Choice: LHA will be paid at a flat rate, based
on family size and personal circumstances. Under the current
rules, the rate of HB depends on a valuation made by the Rent
Service, based on the location, size and condition of the
property. Under LHA, tenants will have greater choice about
where to live, without this affecting their benefit. In
addition, tenants will also be able to keep some of the excess
benefit, where the rate of LHA is more than their rent.
- Personal responsibility: In the majority
of cases, LHA will be paid direct to the tenant. Under the
current rules, the tenant can choose to have their HB paid to their
landlord. The DWP firmly believe that tenants should be
responsible for receiving LHA themselves and paying their own rent,
reflecting the way other welfare benefits are paid. Giving
tenants responsibility for their own finances will improve their
opportunities for accessing work.
Purpose of the policy
The DWP recognise that paying LHA directly to the tenant will
not always be appropriate in every case. Issues of vulnerability
and the risk of a tenant not paying their rent should be
safeguarded against. The purpose of the policy is to set out
the Council’s policy for determining the circumstances where
payments of LHA will be made to the landlord, instead of the
tenant.
Aims and objectives
The aims and objectives of the policy are to:
- Provide a safeguard for the most vulnerable tenants and
reassure them that their benefit and rent will be paid;
- Help prevent rent arrears and tenants being put at risk of
eviction;
- Help sustain tenancies for vulnerable tenants;
- Reassure landlords that their rent will be paid if they have
vulnerable tenants or if they are approached by vulnerable
tenants;
- Help put tenants in touch with other agencies where appropriate
and give people the opportunity and support to manage their own
tenancies and finances;
- ·Ensure that Council officers make reasonable, fair and
consistent decisions;
- Promote a transparent and simple process that is widely
understood; and
- Treat each case individually and avoid making assumptions about
people’s situations.
The full policy can be viewed below.