Housing element allowance for UC with PIP

needhelp120

Hello, I currently live in a private rented accommodation with 3 other people. I receive UC with daily living and mobility element. UC currently covers the full amount of my rent as it is under the local housing allowance for a shared room in my area. One of my housemates is moving out who has a significantly bigger room and I am hoping to take it over to improve the quality of my living arrangement as my current room is very very small. This would be an uplift in my rent of about £160 which only some of it would be covered by the shared room allowance. My other housemates don't want to get a new 4th housemate as we don't currently have a living room, so they want to split the rent of my current room between us. Basically, they are proposing we all get new leases with increased rent so that we can have a lounge area. This would increase my tenancy by almost another £200, so £360 overall. I'm not 100% into the idea but I do feel pressured into agreeing as I don't want to move and everybody else is for it. My question is, as I have PIP daily living component it says that I am entitled to the one bedroom rate (this would cover my new rent with the £360 increase), will they cover this new rent agreement as it is still only a shared house? Or can I get the one bedroom rate even though I am in a shared house? Or will I only be entitled to a shared bedroom rate? I don't want to agree to anything before I know that UC will cover it. I searched online and the answers seem mixed. Some people have said that if you don't have an extra facility in the shared house that is for you alone, that you don't count towards a one bedroom rate. However, others say you can get the one bedroom rate even if you just have one bedroom in a shared house. Could anybody clear this up for me? Thank you very much!

poppy123456

You will be entitled to the 1 bedroom rate of LHA. This is what you're entitled to now but because your rent is less than the 1 bedroom rate, UC cover all of your rent, which is quite rare. LHA very often doesn't cover all of anyone's rent. (you can't claim for more than what your actual rent is)

Once the changes are in place you will need to make sure you report those changes (not before) and then provide proof of liability to pay rent such as tenancy agreement.