The DHP scheme
DHP’s are made at the discretion of the council and are not governed by the same rules as housing benefit, however, to qualify the person making a claim must also be receiving housing benefit. The foregoing aside, the DHP scheme is intended to be flexible and can cover a range of different housing costs or scenarios. These include;
Meeting the shortfall between rent and housing benefit
- where a property has been especially adapted to meet the needs of a disabled person and it would be impractical for that person to move
- where the householder has a planned move to more affordable accommodation and needs some short-term assistance until they actually make the move into their new home
- where the property is currently classed as too big for the household but the circumstances are expected to change e.g. expecting a baby; or a significant birthday; or awaiting placement of a foster child; or taking in a lodger
- where the householder is struggling to pay their rent because of other debts but can demonstrate that they are seeking help or have arranged their finances to enable them to pay the shortfall in the future • where short-term support is required to help with the move back into work
Help to move to an affordable property
- where the customer needs help with the cost of removals
- where the customer needs to move to another property, including one outside of the council’s area, and needs some help to pay rent in advance and/or the deposit
- where the customer has to pay rent on two properties for a short period and it cannot be met by housing benefit
Helping those affected by the benefit cap
Persons particularly affected by the benefit cap, who might require assistance, include those:
- fleeing domestic violence
- families who cannot move immediately for reasons of health, education, or child protection
- households in exempt, supported or temporary accommodation (subject to government clarification)
Claimants affected by changes to local housing allowance (LHA)
Claimants could be affected by the following changes to LHA:
- the up-rating of LHA rates, annually from April 2013, in line with the consumer price index instead of monthly in line with market rents
- the application of the shared-room rate to those under 35 years of age