These Regulations amend the Housing Benefit (Executive Determinations) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008 (“the Executive Determinations Regulations”) to make changes to the manner in which a local housing allowance is determined.

Regulation 2 amends the Executive Determinations Regulations by substituting tables that provide that, for dwellings in specified categories in specified broad rental market areas, the local housing allowance is the lower of (a) the rent as last determined plus 3% and (b) the maximum allowance applicable to the dwelling, as specified in the table inserted by these Regulations.

For other dwellings, the local housing allowance is lower of the rent as last determined and the rent at the 30th percentile, determined in accordance with the Executive Determinations Regulations.

Further, these Regulations also amends the Executive Determinations Regulations so that any changes to a broad rental market area made as a result of a broad rental market area determination takes effect either from the 1st of April following the day on which the determination is made or, if that is within 11 months of the day on which the determination is made, the 1st of April the following year.