Finefair Ltd wants to provide reliable services and information to its clients. We specialise in a myriad of areas. Examples include council leasing, property management, and guaranteed rent. Another would be LHA. If you are after details focusing on local housing allowance in Enfield, continue reading.
Introducing LHA
The UK Government introduced LHA in 2008. What it does is supply a way for councils to calculate Housing Benefit entitlement. This is for any tenants renting private sector accommodation in Scotland, England, and Wales.
The change to LHA was a substantial shift in how they pay housing benefits and restrictions. Most significantly, there was the change to basing entitlement on the 30th percentile of accommodation within the local community. Until this point, they were using the 50th percentile or median.
Local housing allowance utilises private market rental rates so it can see what individuals pay in an area. We call this the BRMA. It inspects rates for the same quantity of bedrooms in the building. The intent here is to ensure that tenants within a community that has similar properties can claim the same financial help. In addition, LHA allows councils to control costs as well.
Local Housing Allowance in Enfield
Since LHA rates depend on the area, it is necessary to look locally to discover more about housing benefit. You can go to the VOA website to check the rate where you live or want to move to.
Within Enfield, there are important details you must know. To give you a head start, we’ll look at some of them here. You can then find more info on their website.
The amount of housing benefit you receive will depend on where you live, your savings, and your circumstances. Other important factors are your income, the amount of bedrooms you need, the number of people living with you, and the rent that is charged.
For single people under 35 who live alone in a shared accommodation or one-bedroom building, your claim will get assessed in a certain way. It will be based on the shared accommodation LHA rate or the rent charged if lower.
For the amount of bedrooms, there are specific requirements for local housing allowance in Enfield. One room will be for adult couples and single adults aged 16 and over. One will also be for any two children of the same sex under 16, any two of either sex under ten, and any other child. The exception here is if they are a foster child or a child whose main home exists elsewhere.
Council tenants
For those who are council tenants, let’s say you live in a housing association or council home. The authorities may decide you have a spare bedroom. As a result, they will restrict your LHA. The amount of permitted rent and service charges will be minimised by 14% of the rent for a sole spare bedroom. It will reduce by 25% of the rent for two or more spare rooms.
There may be a case where you have extra bedrooms for a non-dependent or disabled partner, disabled child, or non-resident carer. To apply for extra bedroom allowance in these situations, you must email revs@enfield.gov.uk so they can check your claim.
You will need to give the name of the person who needs the room and the reasoning. Moreover, the authority will need evidence the person is receiving a certain payment. These include middle or higher care competent of Disability Living Allowance and Armed Forces Independence Payment. The others are Daily living component or Personal Independence Payment and Attendance allowance. For the latter, it needs to be the higher rate if you are not able to share with a partner due to disability.
Then there are non-dependent deductions. Your Council Tax Support and Housing Benefit can go down. This is if there is an adult living in the property that can pay towards housing costs. The authority will take a figure off your benefit for that individual. You are a non-dependent if you are a charitable or voluntary live-in carer, sub-tenant, lodger, or joint-tenant.
Come to us for advice
The team at Finefair Ltd is here to provide the most extensive list of real estate services. We can even offer useful details on local housing allowance in Enfield. Landlords and tenants should ensure they are clear on LHA before agreeing tenancies. This is something we can do in addition to helping with our other offerings. You will gain all the help you need for fantastic value.
So, contact us today to see how we can help.
