Bedroom entitlement for Housing Benefit
Private tenants and working-age social tenants will have part of their Housing Benefit calculations based on how many bedrooms you are thought to need for your household. You are allowed one bedroom for:
- each adult couple
- each person over 16
- 2 children of the same gender under 16
- 2 children under 10, regardless of their sex
- any other child
- an overnight carer you need but who does not normally live with you
There is an additional category for private tenants who are single people, under age 35, with no children. If you fall within this category, you are only allowed one bedroom in shared accommodation, rather than a one bedroom property to yourself.
Additional bedroom allowance
When you may be allowed an extra bedroom.
Overnight carers
You can have an extra bedroom if a non-resident carer provides overnight care for a disabled adult or child in your home.
Disability
A couple or a child may need a separate room due to a disability or medical condition.
The disabled person must get one of the following benefits:
- Attendance allowance
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – daily living component
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA) – middle or high care component
Armed forces
An adult son, daughter, or step-child in the armed forces is treated as continuing to live at home if they are away serving but intend to return.
Foster care
One extra bedroom may be allowed for an approved foster carer.
If your child has a disability
If you have a child that has a disability that makes it unreasonable for them to share a bedroom, we will consider:
- whether the child is currently sharing a bedroom without difficulty
- whether the frequency and nature of any overnight care causes prolonged and/or repeated disruption to another child
- whether the nature of the disability increases the likelihood that the child may behave disruptively during the night
- whether sharing a bedroom poses a risk of physical harm to either child
- how long the situation is likely to last – to qualify for an extra bedroom, the inability to share would be expected to be long term