*DLA, LHA and extra room allowance? Confused! x*

Hi guys hope you are all well.

I'm wanting to know about housing benefit and the extra room allowance for a non resident carer. Is this already available?

What criteria do you/will you have to have to be eligable for the extra room allowance? DLA?

Also, if it hasn't come in yet, where do you stand if you already have the extra room you need for a carer to stay over but you pay extra rent for it at the min? Will you be able to get your Local housing allowance upped for the extra room when it comes in?

Can someone explain what they class as a non resident carer? Does the carer have to live with you or can you have the extra room 'ready' for them if and when you need them if you have mental disabilitys that change?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm really confused by it all and it doesn't say anything about it on the LHA website!

Thanks very much for your advice in advance.
xxx

QueenyV wrote:

Hi guys hope you are all well.

I'm wanting to know about housing benefit and the extra room allowance for a non resident carer. Is this already available?

What criteria do you/will you have to have to be eligable for the extra room allowance? DLA?

Also, if it hasn't come in yet, where do you stand if you already have the extra room you need for a carer to stay over but you pay extra rent for it at the min? Will you be able to get your Local housing allowance upped for the extra room when it comes in?

Can someone explain what they class as a non resident carer? Does the carer have to live with you or can you have the extra room 'ready' for them if and when you need them if you have mental disabilitys that change?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm really confused by it all and it doesn't say anything about it on the LHA website!

Thanks very much for your advice in advance.

Hi queenv...

i am in the same position as you...the rule comes in from april 1st 2011 & you need to already have the extra bedroom...

A non residential carer is ,i think, anyone who regularly helps you day & NIGHT but doesn't normally live with you... this may be a member of your family or a friend etc & i think they need to live something like within 2 miles of you...

i think you automatically qualify if you are on higher care dla but perhaps also middle... it means that we would be entitled to 2 room rate instead of single...

What i don't know is how we apply etc... there is very little about it anywhere... i have just been advised to keep phoning my housing benefit ....

I'm glad you asked this question & hope we get some more replies about it....

p.s. my sister has slept on an airbed in my front room for years when i need her... i am counting on this two room rate both for my sister & because with the 30th percentile change i can no longer even afford single persons rent & am one of those facing being homeless...

best wishes....

I'm afraid that we don't advise on LHA on here, but hopefully there will be other members who know about this.

Although we don't advise on HB, I've had a rummage around the net. This seems to have something on it.

www.maidstone.gov.uk/advice_and_benefits...nges_to_housing.aspx

I looked at other sites without success, but I haven't yet trawled through these sites -

www.rightsnet.org.uk/toolkit/leaflets-fa...ets-and-publications