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Please be aware LHA rates are now set annually and will no longer change on a monthly basis.
LHA Rates - April 2012 to March 2013
| Shared Room | 1 Bedroom | 2 Bedroom | 3 Bedroom | 4 Bedroom | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Charge | £65.00 | £95.00 | £126.92 | £150.00 | £184.62 |
| Monthly Charge | £281.67 | £411.67 | £549.99 | £650.00 | £800.02 |
Please be aware a change in your circumstances may affect your LHA rate.
Once we have worked out your LHA rate we will still need to look at your household’s income and capital to decide the maximum amount of Housing Benefit we can award so you may receive less than the Local Housing Allowance rate depending on your personal circumstances.
How will my LHA be paid?
LHA will be paid direct into your bank account. This means you will need to open a bank account if you do not have one already. Under LHA it will be your responsibility to pay the rent to your landlord.
I think I may struggle with the responsibility of paying my rent?
If you think you may struggle with the responsibility of paying your rent, the Council has a policy that covers the circumstances in which we will consider paying Housing Benefit direct to the landlord.
A request to make direct payments under the policy can be made by the tenant, landlord or any other interested party and written evidence will be required to support such a request.
Examples of when a payment of Housing Benefit may be made direct to the landlord are if:
- the Council considers that the customer is likely to have difficulty in relation to the management of his financial affairs' orthe Council considers that it is improbable that the customer will pay his/her rent.
This may be because you are likely to have difficulty managing your financial affairs - perhaps there is a medical condition, learning disability or a drug/alcohol problem that would mean you are likely to have difficulty managing a household budget and prioritising payments.
Payment may also be made to a landlord where you are unlikely to pay your rent and this may be because you have existing debt problems or a history of failing to pay the rent in the past without good reason.
Payment may be made to the landlord where the Council considers that;
- The rent has been reduced to an affordable level by the landlord so that the tenant can retain an exisiting tenancy; or
- Set at an affordable level by the landlord to allow a tenant to secure a new tenancy.
The Council can provide help with any negotiation that you may have to make with your landlord.
Full details are availablie in the Safeguarding Policy (see Related Documents).
Rent arrears
Payment of Housing Benefit will automatically be made direct to the landlord where the council is aware that;
- Rent arrears have reached the equivalent of eight weeks or more - You are in rent arrears amounting to eight weeks if, at the beginning of your tenancy, you have missed two monthly payments.
- A customer is having deductions from their Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance to pay off rent arrears.
Contact Benefits Service
- Tel: 01803 207201
- Email: housing.benefits@torbay.gov.uk
- Fax: 01803 292866
