What sounds like a clever new piece of software has come on to the market this week, of interest to letting agents who deal with housing benefit tenants.
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) Calculator will enable landlords, letting agents and housing advice teams to see at a glance how the changes to housing benefit and LHA that the Government is introducing in stages from this April will affect a claimant’s LHA entitlement.
In seconds, the desktop aid provides current LHA rates and also forecasts the impact that the changes to the LHA system will have on individual claims and when the changes will affect them.
The changes to come include the overall capping of LHA entitlements, the move to set LHA rates at the 30th percentile level of local market rents and the extension of the single room rate from single claimants under 25 to those under 35.
The software has been designed to be easy to use while offering a range of useful additional features that will enable landlords and letting agents to maintain rental income, and provide greater certainty about the impact of the LHA changes before they happen.
The product has been developed by Destin Solutions and Settled Housing Solutions Consultancy Service.
Alan Elborough, of Settled Housing Solutions, said: “With over 774,000 households projected to be affected by the changes, we identified the vital need for a piece of software for this very important section of the country’s housing market.
“We also believe that the software will dispel the myths and uncertainty about the LHA market and provide a solid footing for local authorities and the private rented sector to negotiate LHA tenancies with accurate facts in front of them.”
Comments