The State Pension Credit Regulations 2002

Other housing costs

13.—(1) Subject to the deduction specified in sub-paragraph (2) and the reductions applicable in sub-paragraph (5), there shall be met under this paragraph the amounts, calculated on a weekly basis, in respect of the following housing costs—

(a) payments by way of rent or ground rent relating to a long tenancy F1 ...;

(b) service charges;

(c) payments by way of rentcharge within the meaning of section 1 of the Rentcharges Act 1977 M1 ;

(d) payments under a co-ownership scheme;

(e) payments under or relating to a tenancy or licence of a Crown tenant;

(f) where the dwelling occupied as the home is a tent, payments in respect of the tent and the site on which it stands.

(2) Subject to sub-paragraph (3), the deductions to be made from the weekly amounts to be met under this paragraph are—

(a) where the costs are inclusive of any of the items mentioned in paragraph 5(2) of Schedule I to the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 M2 (payment in respect of fuel charges), the deductions prescribed in that paragraph unless the claimant provides evidence on which the actual or approximate amount of the service charge for fuel may be estimated, in which case the estimated amount;

(b) where the costs are inclusive of ineligible service charges within the meaning of paragraph 1 of Schedule I to the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 (ineligible service charges) the amounts attributable to those ineligible service charges or where that amount is not separated from or separately identified within the housing costs to be met under this paragraph, such part of the payments made in respect of those housing costs which are fairly attributable to the provision of those ineligible services having regard to the costs of comparable services;

(c) any amount for repairs and improvements, and for this purpose the expression “repairs and improvements” has the same meaning it has in paragraph 12(2).

(3) Where arrangements are made for the housing costs, which are met under this paragraph and which are normally paid for a period of 52 weeks, to be paid instead for a period of 53 weeks, or to be paid irregularly, or so that no such costs are payable or collected in certain periods, or so that the costs for different periods in the year are of different amounts, the weekly amount shall be the amount payable for the year divided by 52.

(4) Where the claimant or the claimant’s partner—

(a) pays for reasonable repairs or redecorations to be carried out to the dwelling he occupies; and

(b) that work was not the responsibility of the claimant or his partner; and

(c) in consequence of that work being done, the costs which are normally met under this paragraph are waived,

then those costs shall, for a period not exceeding 8 weeks, be treated as payable.

(5) Where in England and Wales an amount calculated on a weekly basis in respect of housing costs specified in sub-paragraph (l)(e) (Crown tenants) includes water charges, that amount shall be reduced—

(a) where the amount payable in respect of water charges is known, by that amount;

(b) in any other case, by the amount which would be the likely weekly water charge had the property not been occupied by a Crown tenant.

[F2 (6) In this paragraph—

(a) “co-ownership scheme” means a scheme under which a dwelling is let by a housing association and the tenant, or his personal representative, will, under the terms of the tenancy agreement or of the agreement under which he became a member of the association, be entitled, on his ceasing to be a member and subject to any condition stated in either agreement, to a sum calculated by reference directly or indirectly to the value of the dwelling;

(b) “Crown tenant” means a person who occupies a dwelling under a tenancy or licence where the interest of the landlord belongs to Her Majesty in right of the Crown or to a government department or is held in trust for Her Majesty for the purposes of a government department except (in the case of an interest belonging to Her Majesty in right of the Crown) where the interest is under the management of the Crown Estate Commissioners;

(c) “housing association” has the meaning assigned to it by section 1(1) of the Housing Associations Act 1985;

(d) “long tenancy” means a tenancy granted for a term of years certain exceeding twenty one years, whether or not the tenancy is, or may become, terminable before the end of that term by notice given by or to the tenant or by re-entry, forfeiture (or, in Scotland, irritancy) or otherwise and includes a lease for a term fixed by law under a grant with a covenant or obligation for perpetual renewal unless it is a lease by sub-demise from one which is not a long tenancy.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in Sch. 02 para. 13(1)(a) omitted (2.10.2006) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/2378), regs. 1(3), 14(5)(a)

F2 Sch. II para. 13(6) added (6.10.2003) by The State Pension Credit (Consequential, Transitional and Miscellaneous Provisions) Regulations 2002 (S.I. 2002/3019), regs. 1(2)(b), 23(l)(iii)

Marginal Citations

M1 1977 c. 30.

M2 S.I.1987/1971.