The Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2011

Amendment of the Housing Benefit (Executive Determinations) Regulations

4.—(1) The Housing Benefit (Executive Determinations) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2008(1) are amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) and (3).

(2) In regulation 3 (broad rental market area determinations and local housing allowance determinations) omit paragraphs (2)(b), (4) and (5).

(3) In the Schedule (broad rental market area determinations and local housing allowance determinations)—

(a) in paragraph 1 (categories of dwelling)—

(i) omit sub-paragraph (1)(f), and

(ii) in sub-paragraph (2)(b) for “to (f)” substitute “to (e)”;

(b) in paragraph 2 (local housing allowance for category of dwelling in paragraph 1)—

(i) for sub-paragraphs (9) and (10) substitute—

“(9) Subject to sub-paragraph (12), the local housing allowance for each category of dwelling specified in paragraph 1 is the amount of the rent at the 30th percentile in the list of rents for that category of dwelling.

(10) The rent at the 30th percentile in the list of rents (“R”) is determined as follows—

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

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, the formula is—

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.”;

(ii) in sub-paragraph (11) for “median rent” substitute “rent at the 30th percentile”, and

(iii) after sub-paragraph (11) add—

“(12) Where the rent at the 30th percentile for the category of dwelling specified in the paragraph of this Schedule listed in column (1) of the following table exceeds the figure in column (2), the local housing allowance for that category of dwelling is the figure in column (2)—

Column (1) Paragraph of this Schedule defining the category of dwelling	Column (2) Maximum local housing allowance for that category of dwelling
paragraph 1(1)(a) (one bedroom, shared accommodation)	£250
paragraph 1(1)(b) (one bedroom, exclusive use)	£250
paragraph 1(1)(c) (2 bedrooms)	£290
paragraph 1(1)(d) (3 bedrooms)	£340
paragraph 1(1)(e) (4 bedrooms)	£400”; and

(c) in paragraph 3(b) (anomalous local housing allowances) for “to (f)” substitute “to (e)”.

(1)

S.R. 2008 No. 100, to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations