Housing Benefit – Parliamentary Written Answer

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for CLG whether social landlords letting properties in local authority areas where social rents are in excess of 80 per cent. of market rent will be required to reduce rents when the affordable rent model is introduced.
Grant Shapps: Social landlords will not be obliged to charge a different rent on social rented properties due to the introduction of affordable rent. None of the new affordable rent proposals have any impact on existing social tenancies.

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for CLG whether a social rented home under his proposed affordable rent model would be classified as affordable if the rent were in excess of the housing benefit cap.
Grant Shapps: Affordable rent levels can be up to maximum of 80% of local open market rents. Our expectation is that providers will want to take into account housing benefit caps when setting rents.