The Income Support (General) Regulations 1987

[F1 Housing costs not met E+W+S

4.— (1) No amount may be met under the provisions of this Schedule—

(a) in respect of housing benefit expenditure; or

(b) where the claimant is [F2 living in care home, an Abbeyfield Home or an independent hospital except where he is living in such a home or hospital] during a temporary absence from the dwelling he occupies as his home and in so far as they relate to temporary absences, the provisions of paragraph 3(8) to (12) apply to him during that absence.

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this paragraph, loans which, apart from this paragraph, qualify under paragraph 15 shall not so qualify where the loan was incurred during one relevant period and was incurred—

(a) after 1st October 1995, or

(b) after 2nd May 1994 and the housing costs applicable to that loan were not met by virtue of the former paragraph 5A of this Schedule in any one or more of the 26 weeks preceding 2nd October 1995, or

(c) subject to sub-paragraph (3), in the 26 weeks preceding 2nd October 1995 by a person—

(i) who was not at that time entitled to income support; and

(ii) who becomes, or whose partner becomes entitled to income support after 1st October 1995 and that entitlement is within 26 weeks of an earlier entitlement to income support for the claimant or his partner.

(3) Sub-paragraph (2)(c) shall not apply in respect of a loan where the claimant has interest payments on that loan met without restrictions under an award of income support in respect of a period commencing before 2nd October 1995.

[F3 (4) The “relevant period” for the purposes of this paragraph is any period during which the person to whom the loan was made —

(a) is entitled to income support [F4 or income-related employment and support allowance], or

(b) is living as a member of a family one of whom is entitled to income support [F4 or income-related employment and support allowance],

together with any linked period, that is to say a period falling between two such periods of entitlement to income support [F4 or income-related employment and support allowance] separated by not more than 26 weeks.]

[F5 (4A) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (4), a person shall be treated as entitled to income support during any period when he or his partner was not so entitled because—

(a) that person or his partner was participating in an employment programme specified in regulation 75(1)(a)(ii) of the Jobseeker’s Allowance Regulations 1996[F6 , in the Intensive Activity Period specified in regulation 75(1)(a)(iv) of those Regulations F7 ...]; and

(b) in consequence of such participation that person or his partner was engaged in remunerative work or had an income [F8 equal to or] in excess of the claimant’s applicable amount as prescribed in Part IV.]

[F9 (4B) A person treated by virtue of paragraph 14 as being in receipt of income support for the purposes of this Schedule is not to be treated as entitled to income support for the purposes of sub-paragraph (4).]

(5) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (4)—

(a) any week in the period of 26 weeks ending on 1st October 1995 on which there arose an entitlement to income support such as is mentioned in that sub-paragraph shall be taken into account in determining when the relevant period commences; and

(b) two or more periods of entitlement and any intervening linked periods shall together form a single relevant period.

(6) Where the loan to which sub-paragraph (2) refers has been applied—

(a) for paying off an earlier loan, and that earlier loan qualified under paragraph 15 [F10 during the relevant period]; or

[F11 (b) to finance the purchase of a property where an earlier loan, which qualified under paragraph 15 or 16 during the relevant period in respect of another property, is paid off (in whole or in part) with monies received from the sale of that property;]

then the amount of the loan to which sub-paragraph (2) applies is the amount (if any) by which the new loan exceeds the earlier loan.

(7) Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this paragraph, housing costs shall be met in any case where a claimant satisfies any of the conditions specified in sub-paragraphs (8) to (11) below, but—

(a) those costs shall be subject to any additional limitations imposed by the sub-paragraph; and

(b) where the claimant satisfies the conditions in more than one of these sub-paragraphs, only one sub-paragraph shall apply in his case and the one that applies shall be the one most favourable to him.

(8) The conditions specified in this sub-paragraph are that—

(a) during the relevant period the claimant or a member of his family acquires an interest (“the relevant interest") in a dwelling which he then occupies or continues to occupy, as his home; and

(b) in the week preceding the week in which the relevant interest was acquired, housing benefit was payable to the claimant or a member of his family;

so however that the amount to be met by way of F12 ... housing costs shall initially not exceed the aggregate of—

(i) the housing benefit payable in the week mentioned at sub-paragraph (8)(b); and

(ii) any amount included in the applicable amount of the claimant or a member of his family in accordance with regulation 17(1)(e) or 18(1)(f) in that week;

and shall be increased subsequently only to the extent that it is necessary to take account of any increase, arising after the date of the acquisition, in the standard rate or in any housing costs which qualify under paragraph 17 (other housing costs).

(9) The condition specified in this sub-paragraph is that the loan was taken out, or an existing loan increased, to acquire alternative accommodation more suited to the special needs of a disabled person than the accommodation which was occupied before the acquisition by the claimant.

(10) The conditions specified in this sub-paragraph are that—

(a) the loan commitment increased in consequence of the disposal of the dwelling occupied as the home and the acquisition of an alternative such dwelling; and

(b) the change of dwelling was made solely by reason of the need to provide separate sleeping accommodation for [F13 persons] of different sexes aged 10 or over [F13 but under the age of 20 who live with the claimant and for whom the claimant or the claimant’s partner is responsible].

(11) The conditions specified in this sub-paragraph are that—

(a) during the relevant period the claimant or a member of his family acquires an interest (“the relevant interest") in a dwelling which he then occupies as his home; and

(b) in the week preceding the week in which the relevant interest was acquired, the applicable amount of the claimant or a member of his family included an amount determined by reference to paragraph 17 and did not include any amount specified in paragraph 15 or paragraph 16; so however that the amount to be met [F14 by way of housing costs] shall initially not exceed the amount so determined, and shall be increased subsequently only to the extent that it is necessary to take account of any increase, arising after the date of acquisition, in the standard rate or in any housing costs which qualify under paragraph 17 (other housing costs).

(12) The following provisions of this Schedule shall have effect subject to the provisions of this paragraph.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Sch. 3 substituted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(2) of the amending S.I.) by The Social Security (Income Support and Claims and Payments) Amendment Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/1613), reg. 1(1), Sch. 1

F2 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(1)(b) substituted (24.10.2005) by The Social Security (Care Homes and Independent Hospitals) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/2687), reg. 1, Sch. 1 para. 8(b)

F3 Sch. 3 para. 4(4) substituted (12.12.1995) by The Social Security (Income Support, Claims and Payments and Adjudication) Amendment Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/2927), regs. 1(1), 5(4)(a)

F4 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(4) inserted (27.10.2008) by The Employment and Support Allowance (Consequential Provisions) (No. 2) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/1554), regs. 1(2)(b), 2(11)(c)

F5 Sch. 3 para. 4(4A) inserted (5.1.1998) by The Social Security Amendment (New Deal) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/2863), regs. 1(1), 16(2)

F6 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(4A)(a) added (9.4.2001) by The Social Security Amendment (New Deal) Regulations 2001 (S.I. 2001/1029), regs. 1(1), 14(a)

F7 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(4A)(a) omitted (14.4.2008) by virtue of The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/698), regs. 1(1), 2(8)(c)

F8 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(4A)(b) inserted (for specified purposes and with effect in accordance with reg. 1(3) of the amending S.I.) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2011 (S.I. 2011/674), reg. 3(6)(a)

F9 Sch. 3 para. 4(4B) inserted (17.12.2007) by The Social Security (Housing Costs and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2007 (S.I. 2007/3183), regs. 1, 3(3)(b)

F10 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(6)(a) inserted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(6) of the amending S.I.) by The Income-related Benefits Schemes and Social Fund (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1944), regs. 1(1)(a), 6(10)(a)(i) (with reg. 13)

F11 Sch. 3 para. 4(6)(b) substituted (with effect in accordance with reg. 1(6) of the amending S.I.) by The Income-related Benefits Schemes and Social Fund (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 1996 (S.I. 1996/1944), regs. 1(1)(a), 6(10)(a)(ii) (with reg. 13)

F12 Word in Sch. 3 para. 4(8) omitted (12.12.1995) by virtue of The Social Security (Income Support, Claims and Payments and Adjudication) Amendment Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/2927), regs. 1(1), 5(4)(b)

F13 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(10)(b) substituted (17.11.2008) by The Social Security (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No.6) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2767), regs. 1(2), 2(11)(b)

F14 Words in Sch. 3 para. 4(11) substituted (12.12.1995) by The Social Security (Income Support, Claims and Payments and Adjudication) Amendment Regulations 1995 (S.I. 1995/2927), regs. 1(1), 5(4)(c)