Shared Accommodation Rate - Exemptions

*Local Authority and Housing Association tenants—Social sector tenants normally have their rent met in full (less deductions for non-dependants and earnings) as rents are generally below market rates.

*Tenants in certain supported accommodation—Tenants who are in accommodation where the landlord is a county council, voluntary organisation or charity and provides care, support or supervision. These cases are assessed under pre 1996 rules which recognise that their housing costs may be more expensive.

*Claimants entitled to the severe disability premium—customers in receipt of middle or higher rate care component of disability living allowance provided no one gets a carer's allowance for them.

*Claimants under the age of 22 who were formerly in social services care—Allows care leavers some leeway to become settled and establish links whereby they could share accommodation with others.

The Government has added two further exemptions for those aged over 25:

*A small group of ex-offenders subject to active multi-agency management under the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Offenders subject to MAPPA are in the main 25 years or over. This is considered appropriate in order to safeguard the public rather than relying on discretionary housing payments.

*People who have spent three months or more in a homeless hostel specialising in rehabilitating and resettling this group within the community. The three month qualifying condition is designed to target people receiving sustained rehabilitation rather than those who have sporadic, short term stays. Targeted at people aged 25 years and over as there is increasing prevalence among this age group of rough sleeping.

Ex-Offenders Exempt from Shared Accommodation Benefit Cuts

An exemption in regulations has been laid before Parliament that will protect some previously homeless people and ex-offenders, who could pose a risk to the public if they lived in shared accommodation, from the planned extension of the increased age limit for the Shared Accommodation Rate from January 2012 (so that the one bedroom self contained rate would apply instead). The exemptions will apply only to those aged 25-34 who are either subject to an active Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangement or who have experienced three months or more in hostel accommodation. Read more on 24dash.