The Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (General) Amendment Regulations 2003

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Council Tax Benefit (General) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/1814) and the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987 (S.I. 1987/1971).

Regulation 1 refers to citation, commencement and interpretation.

Regulations 2 and 3 amend the Council Tax Benefit Regulations, and regulations 4, 5 and 6 amend the Housing Benefit Regulations.

Regulations 2 and 4 amend the definition of “designated office”.

Regulation 3 amends regulation 62 of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations regarding the time and manner in which claims are made to council tax benefit.

Regulation 6 amends regulation 72 of the Housing Benefit Regulations regarding the time and manner in which claims are made to housing benefit.

Regulations 3(2) and 6(2) allow a claimant who is also claiming incapacity benefit to submit his claim to council tax benefit or housing benefit to an office of the Department for Work and Pensions which is normally open to the public for the receipt of claims for income support or a jobseeker’s allowance.

Regulations 3(3) and 6(3) provide that a council tax benefit claim or housing benefit claim should be forwarded in appropriate cases to the relevant authority by an office of the Department for Work and Pensions which is normally open to the public for the receipt of claims for income support or a jobseeker’s allowance.

Regulations 3(4) and 6(4) make provision for the date of claim in a case where incapacity benefit or a contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance is also claimed on the same approved claim form, and regulations 3(5) and 6(5) make an amendment consequential on this change.

Regulation 5 provides for an additional circumstance where a relevant local authority should apply to a rent officer for a determination.

These Regulations do not impose a charge on business.