Advice on housing and benefit

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CluelessUser

Hi,

I am looking to move out for the first time to help better manage my independence and anxiety due to my living situation. However it has turned into a huge mindfield.

I am on two benefits at the moment universal credit / LCWRA and ADP very recently as it was PIP and just in the past few months been switched to ADP. Now my question is is there a definite way to find out what LHA I am entitled too as I am 24 and although overall can manage most things ok, occasionally due to my mental health problems may require a family member to stay overnight if I am struggling with my mental health.

I have always had mental health problems etc hence the LCWRA and ADP I have even managed part time work in the past had to leave this last year due to issues of not being helped within the workplace. But I have no idea if I was to rent a 2 bed flat what LHA allowance I am then in receipt of as I don't require a specialised carer in the sense of homehelp / home care but more that I may occasionally but again not all the time require help from family / friend for my mental health and maybe to help with things I may struggle with but I can't find any information that is clear on if I will be deducted anything or if I am eligible for more.

Universal Credit are incredibly unhelpful on the subject and won't even give a rough idea until I am already in the rented accomodation which is difficult to do if you have no idea what you would be getting so I would've thought it would be a reasonable request to ask for some advice on how much or what help you would get but clearly I am the only person that thinks like this. I have done the Turn2US calculator but the amount seems to differ to LHA and again makes me worry that either the LHA website is wrong or the Turn2US calculator has miscalculated and I just have no idea what I would be eligible for bedroom wise of the LHA.

If anyone has any advice for someone incredibly new to all this and if you need other information to help that I may not have posted please let me know as I would just appreciate help navigating this mindfield of information everywhere.

poppy123456

The reason why UC couldn't help you is because they are not benefits advisors and they should be the last place you go to for advice like this.

LHA applies if you're privately renting. It doesn't apply if renting from social/council housing. How much you'll be entitled to will depend on the area you'll be living and your circumstances. All areas will have different rates.

As you're under the age of 35 you'll only be entitled to the 1 bedroom rate of LHA if your ADP includes the daily living part. If it doesn't then you're only entitled to the shared rate of LHA.

If it includes the daily living part and you need regular overnight care (not sometimes) then you maybe able to claim for an extra bedroom so you could get the 2 bedroom rate of LHA.

You can see the rates here in this link but you'll need to include postcodes when searching and also drop the box down to how many bedrooms you're entitled to. If your ADP includes the daily living then I would check rates for 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms so you know what the figures are just incase UC refuse a bedroom for a carer.

If there's a shortfall of rent then you will need to pay that yourself.

https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk

For privately renting it may not be that easy to find a landlord (LL) that will accept a tenant claiming benefits because many LL's will refuse. If you do manage to find one then they may ask for a guarantor.

You could put your name down on the social/council housing list but as a single person you could well be waiting many years to be housed.

When renting from social/council housing then LHA doesn't apply. You will be entitled to all of your rent, unless you have spare bedrooms.

Please note that when using the LHA website the rates you see will be weekly rates and UC is a monthly benefit so you will need to calculate the monthly rate… times the weekly rate by 52 and then divide by 12.