Shared Housing: Utilities

(asked on 19th June 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Valuation Office Agency makes a deduction for (a) water and (b) fuel from the advertised rent for a room in shared accommodation when calculating the 30 per centile of the shared accommodation rate in each broad rental market area.


Answered by
Will Quince Portrait
Will Quince
This question was answered on 24th June 2019

The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997 instructs Rent Officers how to compile the list of rents used in the calculation of local housing allowance rates (including the shared accommodation rate) and the 30th percentile of local rents for each broad rental market area. In compiling the list of rents, Rent Officers must exclude the amount of any rent which in the Rent Officer’s opinion is attributable to provision of services or facilities made available to the tenant which are ineligible to be met by Housing Benefit.

Reticulating Splines