Renting from a private landlord and housing benefit
If you rent your home from a private landlord and are not subject to Local Housing Allowance the rent officer will decide how much of your rent we use to work out your benefit. We also have to take into account what is included in your rent.
The rent officer will look at whether your rent is reasonable and is similar to other properties in the area. They will also see if the property is the right size for your family using a housing benefit room calculator - this amount is known as the Local Reference Rent. The rent officer may need to visit the property to decide this, however if this is the case an appointment will be made that is convenient for you.
Ineligible charges
Housing Benefit does not cover the cost of certain things which may be included in your rent such as fuel, water charges and laundry. These are called ineligible charges and if these are included in your rent the rent officer will take the value of these off the rent as we cannot pay for them.
We use the figure provided by the rent officer service to decide how much of your rent benefit can cover. The amount we can cover is called your maximum rent.
If you don’t agree with the ‘maximum’ (claim related) rent you should write to us, and we can ask the rent officer to look at it again. However, this does not necessarily mean that you will receive more rent, they may keep the original decision or possibly lower or raise the decision.
If you are single and under 25, with no partner or children living with you, the rent officer will also decide how much is generally paid in the ‘locality’ for a single room with a shared living room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet, but without any food or fuel bills included. This is called the Single Room Rent and will apply if it is lower than the claim related rent or local reference rent.
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