Help with Housing Costs Volume 2: Guide to Housing Benefit 2015/16

This new volume in the Help with Housing Costs series covers housing benefit. It is designed to complement Volume 1 which covers Universal Credit and Council Tax Rebates

Designed as the successor to the popular Guide to Housing Benefit it has been written in a refreshing plain English style that makes it easy to use while retaining many of its predecessor's features that readers will find reassuringly familiar.

It covers the housing benefit rules across the United Kingdom and contains many practical examples and over 80 useful tables for quick reference. Building on its predecessor's strong reputation for clear, impartial and accurate advice, the guide is designed for use by local councils, social landlords, advisers, tribunal members and housing professionals, as well as homeowners and tenants.

This volume has a chapter covering DWP help with mortgage interest, and has been fully revised and updated to incorporate all the changes over the past year, including the April 2015 uprating. It provides answers to some of the most frequent problems and issues, and explains all the new rules starting from April including:-

• The local housing allowance (LHA) national caps and size limits
• The treatment of rent and service charges for all non-LHA claims
• The social sector size criteria ('the bedroom tax') including developments in case law
• The household benefits cap, including exemptions
• The special rules for certain supported housing ('exempt accommodation')
• Guidance on the discretionary housing payments scheme
• The changing eligibility rules and case law developments for European nationals and migrants from other non-European states
• The gradual transition and transfer of housing benefit claims to universal credit