Single people under 35 years old

This section deals only with private sector claims from customers who:

• are under the age of 35 and       
• live alone and
• are not responsible for a child

How do the rules work?

When a private tenant claims Housing Benefit, we use the Local Housing Allowance (LHA)  rate to determine the maximum amount of rent we can pay. Local Housing Allowance is a flat rate allowance.

In the case of single people under the age of 35, the LHA rate is based on the cost of single room accommodation with shared use of toilet and kitchen facilities This figure is known as the ‘shared accommodation rate’.

We have to restrict Housing Benefit to the shared accommodation rate for people who are under 35.

How much is the shared accommodation rate?

The shared room rate is based on the cost of  accommodation which consists of a single room in the area where your property is located, at the time you apply for Housing Benefit.

This figure may change each year. The current Shared Accommodation rate can be found on the Local Housing Allowance rates Direct Gov webpage by searching by postcode or local authority area. and selecting ‘shared accommodation’ and entering the postcode of your property