The Housing Benefit Regulations 2006
UK Statutory Instrument 2006 No. 213 — creates 1 criminal offence.
- Made
- 2 February 2006
- In force from
- 6 March 2006
- Extent
- Not stated
- Subject
- Education, social security, pensions and public services
- Made under
- Housing Act 1996, In accordance with section 176(1) of the Social Security Administration Act 1992, Social Security Act 1998, Social Security Administration Act 1992, Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992
Explanatory note
(This note is not part of the Regulations) — published with the instrument by the department that made it. © Crown copyright, reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
These Regulations consolidate existing provisions relating to housing benefit for claimants who have not attained the qualifying age for state pension credit and for those who have attained that age and are receiving, or whose partner is receiving, income support or income-based jobseeker’s allowance. In the case of a woman the qualifying age for state pension credit is pensionable age and in the case of a man it is the age which is pensionable age in the case of a woman born on the same day as the man (section 1(6) of the State Pension Credit Act 2002). Provisions relating to those claimants who have attained the qualifying age for state pension credit other than those who are, or whose partner is, receiving income support or income-based jobseeker’s allowance are contained in the Housing Benefit (Persons who have attained the Qualifying age for state pension credit) Regulations 2006. Part 1 of the Regulations contains general provisions relevant to these Regulations. The Regulations consolidated by these Regulations are revoked, in consequence of the consolidation, by the Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Consequential Provisions) Regulations 2006 (“the Consequential Provisions Regulations”). These Regulations are to be read, where appropriate, with the Consequential Provisions Regulations. Part 2 makes provision in regard to the circumstances in which a person is or is not to be treated as occupying a dwelling as his home and is or is not to be treated as liable to make payments for a dwelling. Part 3 specifies those payments by way of rent which are to be eligible for the payment of housing benefit and for determinations and redeterminations by rent officers in rent allowance cases. Part 4 specifies the circumstances in which a person is or is not to be treated as responsible for another person and who is to be treated as a member of the same household as a claimant for housing benefit. Part 5 and Schedule 3 provide for the calculation of the applicable amount in respect of a person’s entitlement to housing benefit, by reference to which the amount of his benefit is calculated. Provision is made with respect to polygamous marriages and persons receiving free in-patient treatment in a hospital. Part 6 provides for the calculation of the income and capital of a claimant for housing benefit, the earnings of employed and self-employed earners, the treatment of income other than earnings including notional income, with the sums to be disregarded set out in Schedules 4 and 5. Calculation of capital is also dealt with, with capital to be disregarded set out in Schedule 6. Part 7 provides for the treatment of students, their entitlement to housing benefit and the calculation of their income. Part 8 specifies the maximum amount of housing benefit payable in any case and any deductions which are to be made from that maximum. Part 9 contains provisions as to when housing benefit is to begin together with provisions relating to change of circumstances and the date those changes take effect. Part 10 provides for the making, amendment and withdrawal of claims, the evidence and information required in connection with claims and the duty to notify changes of circumstances. Part 11 provides for the determination of questions arising on claims and the notification of decisions by authorities. Part 12 provides for the payment of housing benefit including to whom payments are to be made and the withholding of benefit. Part 13 provides for the recovery of overpaid benefit, what constitutes a recoverable overpayment and the method of recovery. Part 14 provides for the collection, recording and holding of information. It also provides for the supply of information between local authorities. Part 15 provides for the housing benefit scheme to be modified in the area of Pathfinder authorities. Part 1 of Schedule 10 identifies those local authorities which operate the Pathfinder provisions in their area and Part 2 of that Schedule specifies the modifications which apply in their area.
Offences created by this instrument
- Any failure by the supplier to supply relevant information to the requirer as, when and how required under regulations… regulation 121 · Revoked · Strict liability
What Parliament said about it
Contributions, debates and written statements mentioning this instrument by name. Parliamentary material is reused under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
- National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill
Commons · Commons Chamber · 17 December 2024 · The Second Deputy Chairman
With this it will be convenient to discuss the following: Amendment 4, page 1, line 2, at beginning insert— “(A1) The Social Security Contributions and Benefits Act 1992 is amended as follows. (A2) In section 9(1A) after paragraph (aa) insert— “(ab) if section 9AA below applies to the earnings, the reduced secondary percentage;” (A3) After section 9A insert— “9AA Qualification for reduced secondary percentage (1) Where a secondary Class 1 contribution is payable as mentioned in section 6(1)(b) above, this section applies to the earnings paid in the tax week, in respect of the employment in…
- Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill (Twelfth sitting)
Commons · Public Bill Committees · 18 March 2025 · Siân Berry (Brighton Pavilion) (Green)
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time. It is a pleasure speak under your chairship again, Mr Western. I tabled the new clause as a probing amendment. In short, it would bring the test for the recovery of universal credit overpayments caused by official error into line with regulation 100(2) of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006, meaning that they could be recovered only where the claimant could have reasonably been expected to realise that there was an overpayment. Let me provide some background on why the new clause is needed. According to Department for Work and Pensions…
- Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill
Commons · Commons Chamber · 29 April 2025 · Siân Berry
There is a lot I could say, but I will mainly just commend to Members my new clause 7, which would remove official error from the most punitive measures in the second part of the Bill. I spoke against the whole suite of intrusive legislation in the second part of the Bill on Second Reading, and Green MPs still oppose it now. I was pleased to serve on the Public Bill Committee, and I will be supporting a number of other amendments that I also backed there, alongside the hon. Members from both sides of the House who proposed them. On Second Reading and in Committee I described how the Bill…
- Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill
Lords · Grand Committee · 25 June 2025 · Lord Palmer of Childs Hill (LD)
My Lords, I support Amendment 123, tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Lister of Burtersett, and others, which would bring the test for recovery of universal credit overpayments caused by official error into line with Regulation 100(2) of the Housing Benefit Regulations 2006. At present, the Department for Work and Pensions is empowered to recover universal credit overpayments even when they result from its own mistakes—a policy introduced with the Welfare Reform Act 2012. This approach marks a significant departure from the previous position on legacy benefits, where overpayments arising…
How Parliament handled it
Parliament's Statutory Instruments service records procedure from May 2017 onwards, and this instrument predates it. That is a limit of the source, not a statement that nothing happened.
Check the source
- This instrument on legislation.gov.uk The authoritative text, including amendments made since
- Other instruments from 2006