Landlord's Newsletter (November 2007)

From 7 April 2008 Local Housing Allowance will be introduced.  This is a new Housing Benefit scheme for tenants renting private accommodation.  

The idea is to simplify the rules and to allow tenants more freedom – both financially, and to choose where they live.

James Plaskitt, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, has stated
“I believe the Local Housing Allowance will be liberating –

it offers more choice and it encourages more responsibility.”

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the cornerstone of the Government’s Housing Benefit reform programme and marks a new stage in the development of the welfare state in this country.   Payments are based on a flat rate of rental charge which takes into account household size and composition as well as location and will be paid directly to the tenant.   It’s objectives are:

• Fairness
• Choice
• Transparency
• Personal responsibility
• Financial inclusion
• improved administration and reduced barriers

Who is affected

• New claimants
• Tenants who move
• Claimants who have a break in their claim.

Useful links for more information about LHA

You will find some very useful reading for Landlords contained in a document called ‘LHA Landlords Q & A on

www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/lha/communications.asp

What this Authority will do to keep you informed

We are planning to give presentations to Landlords about LHA and in order to reach as many of you as we can we will do a day and evening session.  We will let you know when they are arranged.   

BACS

Please accept our apologies for the delay in implementing payments by BACS.   However we hope that this facility will be in operation in the near future.

Overpayments / Fraud

Just a reminder, if you suspect that your tenant may be working, have someone living with them that they have not declared, suspect they are not living in the property, or may not be entitled to Housing Benefit for any reason, please let us know

How are we performing?

In the last quarter, July 2007 to September 2007, we:

• processed new claims on average within 27 days
• processed changes of circumstances on average within 11 days
• 92% of new claims were paid within 14 days of receiving all the information.
• paid 97% of new rent allowance claims on time or within 7 days of a decision being made.

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Landlord's Newsletter Feburary 2007  (68.05 KB)
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