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Your eligibility for Housing Benefit depends on your housing status.
Social housing tenants - people who rent from their local council or from a housing association - are eligible for Housing Benefit on all of their 'eligible' rent. The calculator works out how much Housing Benefit is payable: your may not get your rent paid in full if you have income or savings above a set amount or if you live with non-dependents.
Private sector tenants - people who rent from a private landlord - are eligible for Local Housing Allowance (LHA). LHA is a form of Housing Benefit, but rather than being based on the actual rent you pay it is based on a standard allowance for each area. For more information see Local Housing Allowance.
Mortgage or owned outright - people who own their home outright or have a mortgage - are not eligible for Housing Benefit. However, help is available for some people to help meet the cost of interest payments on their mortgage. In order to get this help you must be claiming Income Support, JobSeeker's Allowance (income-based) or Employment and Support Allowance (income-related). For more information see help with housing costs.
If you are buying a share in your home through a shared ownership scheme then you may be eligible to receive Housing Benefit for the amount you pay in rent (your occupancy payments).
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