The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Local Housing Allowance Amendments) Order 2013

Amendment to the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Scotland) Order 1997

3.—(1) Schedule 3B (Broad rental market area determinations and local housing allowance determinations)(1) to the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Scotland) Order 1997(2) is amended as follows.

(2) For paragraph 2 (Local housing allowance for category of dwelling in paragraph 1)(3) substitute—

“Local housing allowance for category of dwelling in paragraph 1

2.— (1) Subject to paragraph 3 (anomalous local housing allowances)(4), the rent officer must determine a local housing allowance for each category of dwelling in paragraph 1 as follows.

(2) For the broad rental market areas listed in column 1 of the table in paragraph 6 the local housing allowance is—

(a) for a category of dwelling listed in column 2 in relation to that broad rental market area, either—

(i) the rate last determined increased by 4 per cent; or

(ii) the maximum local housing allowance for that category of dwelling listed in column (2) of the table in sub-paragraph (9) where that is lower than or equal to the rate last determined increased by 4 per cent.

(b) for any category of dwelling not listed in column 2 of the table in paragraph 6 in relation to that broad rental market area, either—

(i) the rent at the 30th percentile determined in accordance with sub-paragraphs (4) to (8); or

(ii) the rate last determined for that category of dwelling increased by 1 per cent. where that is lower than or equal to the rent at the 30th percentile determined in accordance with sub-paragraphs (4) to (8).

(3) For all other broad rental market areas the local housing allowance for a category of dwelling is either—

(a) the rent at the 30th percentile determined in accordance with sub-paragraphs (4) to (8); or

(b) the rate last determined for that category of dwelling increased by 1 per cent. where that is lower than or equal to the rent at the 30th percentile determined in accordance with sub-paragraphs (4) to (8).

(4) The rent officer must compile a list of rents in ascending order of the rents which, in the rent officer’s opinion, are payable—

(a) for a dwelling let under an assured tenancy for each category of dwelling specified in paragraph 1; and

(b) in the 12 month period ending on the 30th day of the September preceding the date of the determination.

(5) In compiling the list of rents, the rent officer must—

(a) include within it the rent of an assured tenancy in relation to each category of dwelling if—

(i) the dwelling let under the assured tenancy is in the broad rental market area for which the local housing allowance for that category of dwelling is being determined;

(ii) the dwelling is in a reasonable state of repair; and

(iii) the assured tenancy permits the tenant to use exclusively or share the use of, as the case may be, the same number and type of rooms as the category of dwelling in relation to which the list is being compiled;

(b) include within it any rents which are of the same amount;

(c) where rent is payable other than weekly, use the figure which would be payable if the rent were to be payable weekly by—

(i) multiplying the rent by an appropriate figure to obtain the rent for a year;

(ii) dividing the total in (i) by 365; and

(iii) multiplying the total in (ii) by 7;

(d) assume that no one who would have been entitled to housing benefit had sought or is seeking the tenancy; and

(e) exclude the amount of any rent which, in the rent officer’s opinion, is fairly attributable to the provision of services performed for, or facilities (including the use of furniture) provided for, or rights made available to, the tenant which are ineligible to be met by housing benefit.

(6) Sub-paragraph (7) applies where the rent officer is not satisfied that the list of rents in respect of any category of dwelling would contain sufficient rents, payable in the 12 month period ending on the 30th day of the September preceding the date of the determination for dwellings in the broad rental market area, to enable a local housing allowance to be determined which is representative of the rents that a landlord might reasonably be expected to obtain in that area.

(7) In a case where this sub-paragraph applies the rent officer may add to the list rents for dwellings in the same category in other areas in which a comparable market exists.

(8) The rent officer must use the list of rents to determine the rent at the 30th percentile in the list (“R”) by—

(a) where the number of rents on the list is a multiple of 10, applying the formula—

Where—

(i)

P is the position on the list found by multiplying the number of rents on the list by 3 and dividing by 10; and

(ii)

P1 is the following position on the list;

(b) where the number of rents on the list is not a multiple of 10, applying the formula—

Where—

• P2 is the position on the list found by multiplying the number of rents on the list by 3 and dividing by 10 and rounding the result upwards to the nearest whole number.

(9) The maximum local housing allowance for each category of dwelling specified in the paragraph of this Schedule listed in column (1) is the amount specified for that category of dwelling in column (2).

(1) Paragraph of this Schedule defining the category of dwelling	(2) Maximum local housing allowance for that category of dwelling
paragraph 1(1)(a) (one bedroom, shared accommodation)	£258.06
paragraph 1(1)(b) (one bedroom, exclusive use)	£258.06
paragraph 1(1)(c) (two bedrooms)	£299.34
paragraph 1(1)(d) (three bedrooms)	£350.95
paragraph 1(1)(e) (four bedrooms)	£412.89

(10) Where the local housing allowance would otherwise not be a whole number of pence, it must be rounded to the nearest whole penny by disregarding any amount less than half a penny and treating any amount of half a penny or more as a whole penny.”.

(3) After paragraph 5 insert—

“6.   The table referred to in paragraph 2(2) of this Schedule is below.

(1) Broad rental market area	(2) Paragraph of this Schedule defining the category of dwelling
Aberdeen and Shire	paragraph 1(1)(a) (one bedroom, shared accommodation) paragraph 1(1)(c) (two bedrooms) paragraph 1(1)(d) (three bedrooms) paragraph 1(1)(e) (four bedrooms)
Argyll and Bute	paragraph 1(1)(b) (one bedroom, exclusive use)
Fife	paragraph 1(1)(a) (one bedroom, shared accommodation)
Forth Valley	paragraph 1(1)(e) (four bedrooms)
Greater Glasgow	paragraph 1(1)(a) (one bedroom, shared accommodation)
Scottish Borders	paragraph 1(1)(a) (one bedroom, shared accommodation)”.

(1)

Schedule 3B was inserted by S.I. 2007/2871.

(2)

S.I. 1997/1995.

(3)

Paragraph 2 was inserted by S.I. 2007/2871 and amended by S.I. 2008/3156, S.I. 2009/2459, S.I. 2010/2836, S.I. 2012/646 and S.I. 2013/1544.

(4)

Paragraph 3 was inserted by S.I. 2007/2871 and amended by S.I. 2010/2836.