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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Housing costs  →  Thread

Hotel costs while homeless

Graham Summers
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Welfare rights officer - Welfare Rights Service, Leicester City Council

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Total Posts: 52

Joined: 17 June 2010

My client became homeless at the age of 64. She did not want to stay in local authority homeless accommodation so she stayed at a hotel whilst she waited for a permanent housing offer. She asked Universal Credit to pay the LHA rate whilst she stayed in the hotel which was effectively her home with all her belongings. UC refused to pay the LHA rates and this is under appeal. Are there any rules which would prevent UC paying the LHA rate where a claimant lives in a hotel?

HB Anorak
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Benefits consultant/trainer - hbanorak.co.uk, East London

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Joined: 12 March 2013

As long as it is the dwelling she occupies as her home and is not “temporary accommodation” as defined in Schedule 1 para 3B, there is no reason why UC should not pay a housing element for hotel accommodation.

It would be temp acc if provided by a council or housing association, but if she has checked in as a private guest UC should cover it.  It is possible she ticked the temp acc box on the housing costs screen, which would lead to an automatic decision refusing a housing element