Claim Related Rent
A market valuation of the specific property occupied by the Housing Benefit claimant, carried out by the Independent Rent Officer. The CRR is used for the following purposes:
- In Category 1 exempt accommodation it affects the amount of subsidy paid by the government to fund the Housing Benefit payments made by the local authority
- In other cases it provides a limit on the amount of Housing Benefit that can be paid - the claimant can only receive the lesser of the CRR and the Local Reference Rent
A CRR is only set for the following types of accommodation:
- Conventional private tenancies where the claimant has been getting HB for the same home since 2008
- Unconventional privately rented accommodation (including accommodation in the voluntary and charitable sectors):
- Caravans
- Boats
- Hostels
- Accommodation where the rent includes a substantial amount for meals prepared and served (“board and attendance”)
- Rarely, a registered housing association tenancy where the local authority considers that the rent charged for the dwelling is unreasonably high
Sources:
- Meaning of CRR: Paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to the Rent Officers (HB Functions) Order 1997 (SI 1997/1984)
- Use of CRR to set level of HB: Regulation 13 of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/213)
- Use of CRR to limit subsidy for exempt accommodation: Paragraphs 7 and 8 of Schedule 4 to the Income Related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Order 1998 (SI 1998/562)