By - Benefit changes will mean young people could benefit by almost £400 a month in some areas.
- “Immediate boost” for vulnerable young people says Minister for Welfare Delivery, Will Quince.
- Change increases the government’s ongoing support for private renters.
The above changes are came into force from Monday 31 May – two years earlier than scheduled. This will offer £10 million of additional housing support, bringing the total projected government spend on housing support to £30 billion this year.
Increases to the Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) are expected to benefit thousands of Universal Credit and Housing Benefit claimants, and have been introduced more than two years earlier than the original implementation date of October 2023.
The SAR is applied to renters aged under 35 claiming support through Local Housing Allowance (LHA). It adjusts their benefit to the cost of renting a room in shared accommodation, but there is a higher, one-bedroom rate for people who need to rent solo housing.
There are two key changes today:
- Care leavers can now claim the higher one-bedroom LHA rate for longer, as the maximum age limit has been raised to 25, from 22.
- Anyone who has lived in a homeless hostel for 3 months or more, regardless of age, will also now be able to claim the higher rate, as the age limit has been removed.
For example, in Harlow and Stortford a single care leaver aged 23 could expect to receive up to £387 additional housing support per month as a result of the change.
Minister for Welfare Delivery Will Quince said:
“These changes are an immediate boost for some of the most vulnerable young people in our communities.”
“We know that having a safe, secure home is vital to getting on your feet and often into work.”
“By bringing these changes in early, we’re able to help more people right now, as we all look to recover from the pandemic.”
This is all very well but the years of landlord bashing has demolished any trust in government and councils. Rogue councils insisting tenant ignore court orders making landlords apply for warrants of execution and bailiffs cost to complete necessary evictions. As a landlord of 30 years plus would I want to let to just anyone? Government induced mistrust is a massive problem. Crooked decisions by the dwp means I would not trust them as far as I can see them in a dark room whilst eating sun glasses. Boris bashing landlords with his vote buying tenant policies will never work. Landlords are leaving driving up rents etc a consequence of government policies. Abolition of S21 will be a killer once it’s brought in. The fools need to work with and value landlords NOT bash and bully them. However their arrogance will never allow this.