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mummy2be:) asks...
Hi,
Im currently 22 weeks pregnant and looking into renting a house for me and my baby. I've read about local housing allowance and due to my circumstances would be eligable to claim, however the amount i can claim differs when it is just me on my own and when it is me and the baby. I would prefer to already be in the house and settled before the baby is due but would need to be eligable for enough to rent a 2 bedroom house or flat in order to do so. Is there a point in my pregnancy were i become classed as a parent with a child in order to claim this or will i only be eligable for this once my baby is born?
What we suggest...
Hi mummy2be:)
We understand that you are looking for some information about claiming the Local Housing Allowance when you are pregnant. We will begin by just briefly describing what the Local Housing Allowance is.
Every month there are different rates set for how much the maximum amount of money that a person is entitled to claim in housing benefit. This varies according to lots of different circumstances that include a person's age, whether they are single or in a couple, whether they have children, as well as their income and the number of rooms in the property they wish to rent.
As you have said, because you are pregnant your circumstances and the amount you can claim will change when it is you and the baby. When you are on your own, because you are under the age of 18, you are only entitled to what is known as the "shared rate" of housing benefit. The "shared rate" of housing benefit is given to people under the age of 25 and assumes that they will only need to meet the cost of sharing a house so only cover enough to rent a room in a house.
After you are 25 there are a number of different rates that you are entitled to depending on whether you need one, two or more bedrooms and this is a significant amount more than the "shared rate". However, even though you are 18 you will be entitled to what is known as the "two bedroom rate" when your baby is born. This is quite a bit more than the amount you are entitled to when you are pregnant.
The "shared rate" for May and June 2009 is £59.00 a week maximum that you could claim. You are entitled to this until you can provide a copy of your child's birth certificate and proof that you are receiving Child Benefit. When you have provided this info you will become entitled to claim a maximum of £103.85 a week, depending on your other income and circumstances. We have to emphasise that the figures we have given are not the amount that you are guaranteed to get but are the maximum you could claim, depending on your personal circumstances. In order to know for sure how much you will get you will have to fill out the detailed claim forms that are available through your local housing benefit office.
In answer to your question you will only be eligible for this higher rate when your baby is born and until then it is unlikely that you could cover the cost of renting a two bedroom property with this allowance alone.
For more info you can contact the Kirklees Housing Benefit Office
By email: revenue.benefits@kirklees.gov.uk
By phone on 01484 414959
Or by writing to:
Revenue and Benefits
Civic Centre Phase 1
High Street
Huddersfield
HD1 2XD
This probably is not the answer you were hoping for. We wonder if its practical for you to continue living where you are until your baby is born and then move on afterwards; we acknowledge this may not be the best of plans, alternatively whether a very sympathetic private landlord might be prepared to accept the reduced rent for a few months until you become entitled to the higher rate of LHA? Again, we accept this could be a long shot, and even if you had someone else to share with - not cohabit - but who was going to be moving on - so that you could both be entitled to the shared rate for the time being, which would cover the rent, and then you take over the full rent after your baby is born and your house mate moves on. If you have a think there might be something in one of these suggestions you can work with.
If you really have to leave wherever you are now and need some where temporary for the rest of your pregnancy then it might be worth considering a foyer. Your nearest one is in Bradford at 1 Coates Street, Bradford, BD5 7DL Telephone 01274 200500 web www.bradfordfoyer.org. It might be worth a phone call.
We hope this information has been useful to you and wish you the best of luck in finding some accommodation for yourself and your baby. Please feel free to contact us again if you would like any more information about this or anything else.
Take care and all the best
q2a
Expert advice and every precaution has been taken to ensure that the information on this page is trustworthy and reliable, but the publishers do not hold themselves responsible for any inaccuracy as information can go out of date very quickly. This page gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. With regard to suggested weblinks given in this reply please note that Lancashire County Council is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
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