Housing element amount, Private rent LCWRA

ADS21

Hi i’m looking for help regarding moving out of family home into own place. 
i’m 25, single, LCWRA - UC Claim
how do you know how much rent will be covered by housing element, i know LHA rate but also see it says this is the maximum amount, does it mean it could be less or? i’m trying as hard as i can to plan but all information i come across is really confusing. 
i do not work as i am too unwell to do so. 
as i understand social housing is hard to come by so i’m looking at private renting, obviously with UC you have to update circumstances, is there a way to find out how much help you will receive for like a definite as to sign a tenancy without knowing how much help you will receive is very daunting. 

poppy123456

Use this link and put the postcode into the area you're thinking of moving to. https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/ if you'll be living alone and not receiving either daily living PIP or DLA mid/high rate care then you will be entitled to the shared rate of LHA because you're under 35. If you do receive either of those benefits then you'll be entitled to the 1 bedroom rate.

The LHA will likely be less than your rent.

ADS21

poppy123456 said:

Use this link and put the postcode into the area you're thinking of moving to. https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/ if you'll be living alone and not receiving either daily living PIP or DLA mid/high rate care then you will be entitled to the shared rate of LHA because you're under 35. If you do receive either of those benefits then you'll be entitled to the 1 bedroom rate.

The LHA will likely be less than your rent.

yes i understand that and have noted down the area LHA and shared room allowance, my question is will i receive the maximum amount of shared room allowance for this and then make the additional rent an outgoing of my incoming 

calcotti

You will receive the appropriate LHA rate or your actual rent, whichever is lower. In most cases the LHA amount will be less than the rent so you will get the LHA rate. They have to say you may get less because if the rent was less that’s what you would get.

MarkM88

If the rent is higher than the maximum you are entitled to then yes you would need to pay the difference. 

poppy123456

Yes, you will receive the maximum for the shared rate but as advised, there's usually a shortfall so you would need to find the extra money to pay towards the rent.

Do be aware though that it's not easy to find a landlord that will accept those claiming benefits. If you're lucky enough to find someone they may ask for a guarantor.

You can put your name down for social housing but as a single person the waiting lists are huge.. several years in a lot of areas.

ADS21

oh i understand now why they say less, that makes so much more sense. 

Alex_Alumni

Glad to hear our members could help with your question @ADS21

Do let us know if there's anything else you're unsure about, we're here to help.

Alex