Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received housing support at the shared accommodation rate in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not readily available for Universal Credit, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. However, data on households on Housing Benefits entitled to the Shared Accommodation Rate is published and available here.

Guidance for users is available here.

Evidence relating to Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) rates was considered as part of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) review last Autumn. This led to the significant investment of £1.2 billion increasing LHA rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents. This means 1.6 million private renters will receive additional help towards their rental costs in 2024/25.

There are exemptions from the SAR for those who find it difficult to share accommodation, such as care leavers, victims of modern slavery and domestic abuse and people who have been homeless and living in a hostel for over 3 months. There is also an exemption in certain circumstances on the grounds of disability. Exempt claimants can claim the higher one-bedroom LHA rate.

For individuals who may require additional support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are available. DHP payments are entirely at the discretion of the local authority and since 2011 the Government has provided nearly £1.7 billion to local authorities.