Housing benefit
English Housing Survey, Headline Report, 2020-21, published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in 2021, defines housing benefit as: ‘A benefit that is administered by local authorities, which is designed to assist people who rent their homes and have difficulty meeting their housing costs. Council tenants on Housing Benefit receive a rent rebate which means that their rent due is reduced by the amount of that rebate. Private and social housing tenants usually receive Housing Benefit (or rent allowance) personally, although sometimes it is paid direct to the landlord.’
Valuation of land for affordable housing 2nd edition, April 2016, published by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) in 2016, states: ‘Housing benefit is available for qualifying low income households. It includes an ‘eligible rent’ – the reasonable rent for a suitable property in the area and includes service charges (e.g. for lift maintenance or a communal laundry), but may be reduced if there is (are) a spare bedroom(s). It excludes costs such as heating, hot water, energy or food.’
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