Housing Benefit Subsidy
Housing Benefit Subsidy Awareness For HB Assessment Staff
Housing Benefit Subsidy Awareness For HB Assessment Staff
A Workshop to raise subsidy awareness among HB assessment staff: Ensuring that decisions are explained and documented, expenditure on different accommodation tenures is allocated to the correct cells in the subsidy claim form, and overpayments are correctly classified.
Next Workshop:
Tuesday, 5th May, 2026.
Full-Day Workshop: (9:40 - 4:30)
Workshop Fee: £280 (No VAT)
Book 3 places and receive a 4th place FREE.
Also available for In-House Bookings for individual organisations, either On-Site or Online.
The day begins with an overview of the HB subsidy arrangements: Both administration subsidy and subsidy to reimburse benefit payments made by the Council. Delegates will learn about the external audit process, including the remit of the auditors (i.e. the matters they are allowed to query) and the kind of errors that they are primed to identify, such as failing to document the reasons for a discretionary decision or judgement call.
We then move on to look in-depth at HB subsidy in key areas, beginning with the complex array of procurement models used to provide temporary accommodation to homeless people. The Workshop provides detailed information about the following:
· Whether the accommodation is owned, leased or licensed by the LA, and the duration of the lease;
· Whether a registered HA is used as an intermediary (e.g. “HALS” placements);
· Whether the local authority is a registered provider of social housing in England;
· HRA v non-HRA;
· Whether the accommodation falls within the definition of “board and lodging accommodation” or “hostel”;
· When the HB eligible rent is restricted;
· Out of borough temporary accommodation placements: which LA administers the HB award and how does this affect subsidy?
Next we consider subsidy for supported accommodation. Common errors here include failure to apply for a Rent Officer’s determination when required and applying the wrong method to calculate the HB eligible rent – especially for organisations that are nor registered housing associations. While looking at Rent Officer referrals we will cover the events that trigger the requirement for a determination, and what to do if it is discovered that a determination should have been applied for in previous years but was not. This part of the workshop also deals with the overlap between supported and temporary accommodation, clearly setting out which takes precedence for subsidy purposes in each possible scenario. cases where an RO determination is needed and how it is then used to determine subsidy and/or the HB eligible rent.
We move onto look at War Pensions / Armed Forces compensation payments: making sure that payments attracting 100% disregard under the HB Regulations are identified, and identifying payments that are eligible for inclusion in a local scheme – especially enhanced / early payment of occupational pensions (SIP and SAP)
The day concludes with Overpayments, focusing on the key subsidy-critical issues:
· Choosing the right subsidy category: claimant error, LA error, DWP error, fraud, technical and other. a recently emerging issue picked up by auditors is Cell 27 (non-HRA rebate “technical” cases) – when should this category be used.
· Welfare Reform: Classifying overpayments arising from UC migration.
· Ensuring that the amount of the overpayment is not exaggerated (which ultimately leads to reduced subsidy if it proves impossible to recover the debt):
o Underlying entitlement and time limits – both before and after the initial overpayment decision is made;
o Overpayments caused by a change of address
o Diminishing capital – a very frequent error is to omit this important step in the calculation.
Presented by Peter Barker, a hugely experienced trainer, appeals presenter and submission writer. He started as a local authority appeals officer in the 1980s, and for many years he has represented local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland at both First-Tier and Upper Tribunal level. Tribunal Judges frequently comment on the high quality of Peter’s submissions. He combines a wealth of first-hand experience with expert knowledge of adjudication legislation.
Contact us for In-House & 'Zoom' booking information for this topic.