Full amount of LHA not being given

megmeghere

I’m due to be evicted but due to deposit scheme issue my landlord must reissue my section 21 and return my deposit to me. In doing so I have 2 extra months to sort things out.

 Last year my rent went from £495 to £595 and I didn’t declare so on my university credit journal as my LHA was only £440 and I’ve always paid on top to my landlord. 

However, I was recently told by Housing Solutions that I’m owed more. I have mentioned this to Universal Credit via journal and phone call to which they responded unsure of why this is. 

I was instructed to first upload documents for my change of rent of which I only have . provisional licence 
. Rent receipts from start of tenancy (2015)
. Soon to have the new tenancy and rent agreement. 

But that is all I have. 

My question is 
1. Is this enough information for them? I have 10 days and been told my money may (which we know means will) stop. 

2. Has anyone ever had issues with LHA full amount not being paid and if so do they reimburse you? 

I highly doubt it but would be nice since they owe me £40 for every month they didn’t give me what was entitled. 

poppy123456

You don’t need a driving license as that’s not proof of eligibility to pay rent. 

You will need either a tenancy agreement or a letter from your LL with the new rent amounts. 

I would post a link for the LHA rates but they increased on 8th April. The only link I can find is this one, you can look through there to see if you can find your Local Authority. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2023-to-march-2024

If you’re single and under 35 you’re entitled to the shared rate unless you’re claiming either PIP/ADP daily living or DLA mid/high rate care and then you’re entitled to 1 bedroom rate. 

If 35 or over then it’s 1 bedroom regardless of a disability benefit award. 

It will be down to a decision maker to make the final decision. Unfortunately I can’t predict what that will be. 

megmeghere

Thank you. I know what I’m entitled too and informed them. The provisional is for proof of address. I don’t have the new tenancy in front of me yet and will be going to my letting agency hopefully this week to get it. But I do have receipts of rent and increase and agency signature and name so that’s fine. 

But my LHA is £120.82 but I’m only receiving £110.00

poppy123456 said:

You don’t need a driving license as that’s not proof of eligibility to pay rent. 

You will need either a tenancy agreement or a letter from your LL with the new rent amounts. 

I would post a link for the LHA rates but they increased on 8th April. The only link I can find is this one, you can look through there to see if you can find your Local Authority. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2023-to-march-2024

If you’re single and under 35 you’re entitled to the shared rate unless you’re claiming either PIP/ADP daily living or DLA mid/high rate care and then you’re entitled to 1 bedroom rate. 

If 35 or over then it’s 1 bedroom regardless of a disability benefit award. 

It will be down to a decision maker to make the final decision. Unfortunately I can’t predict what that will be. 

OverlyAnxious

Don't forget UC is paid every 4 weeks and rent is usually paid by the calendar month which is around 4.5 weeks.

So your 4 weekly amount of £440 is £495 a month.  That is the correct payment for your old rent amount.

poppy123456

OverlyAnxious said:

Don't forget UC is paid every 4 weeks and rent is usually paid by the calendar month which is around 4.5 weeks.

So your 4 weekly amount of £440 is £495 a month.  That is the correct payment for your old rent amount.

That’s not correct, UC is paid monthly not 4 weekly. LHA is a weekly amount and to work out the monthly amount you times the weekly amount by 52 and then divide by 12. 

OverlyAnxious

poppy123456 said:

OverlyAnxious said:

Don't forget UC is paid every 4 weeks and rent is usually paid by the calendar month which is around 4.5 weeks.

So your 4 weekly amount of £440 is £495 a month.  That is the correct payment for your old rent amount.

That’s not correct, UC is paid monthly not 4 weekly. LHA is a weekly amount and to work out the monthly amount you times the weekly amount by 52 and then divide by 12. 

My apologies.  That was based on my own legacy housing benefit being paid 4 weekly.

I also got the maths wrong somehow.  (One of those days?)  Still, they wouldn't have got the full weekly amount of £120.82 paid as that would have been more than the £495 a month that their previous rent was.  It should have been about £115 a week I think.

poppy123456

 I worries, it happens. Though you make a very valid point, which I didn’t think of previously. As the calculation for UC is different then yes it would seem like you’re receiving less, which of course is always true. 

honeyhoney

I don't know about elsewhere, but my council's website provides both weekly and monthly LHA rates, so you don't have to calculate anything.

megmeghere

https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/848495#Comment_848495

sorry if it’s in a random place but just an update for good news. My LHA has been rectified. I don’t have to phone up like I was told by them on the phone thank god. I noticed my next pay was a little more and checked I got an extra £100 towards my rent which has helped tremendously! And even better I was awarded PIP too just waiting for the letter to find out what I was awarded properly. Just wanted to say thank you to you for being there when I was too worried and spamming the internet for info and advice x