The Shared Accommodation Rate and who is exempt from this

If you live in private rented accommodation and you are a single person aged 34 or under, the help you receive towards rent will normally be limited to the Shared Accommodation Rate.

The Shared Accommodation rate will not apply if you:

• are responsible for a dependent child
• have any non-dependents living in your household
• were previously homeless - you must be on a planned resettlement programme and have spent 3 months or more living in a hostel for the homeless. You can have lived in more than one hostel during this time and the 3 months don't have to be continuous. Prior to 31 May 2021 you also needed to be at least 25 years old.
• are receiving a benefit because of a disability - You must be receiving one of the following:
  • Disability Living Allowance (care component at the middle or higher rate)
  • Personal Independence Payment (daily living component at the standard rate or enhanced rate)
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Constant Attendance Allowance (paid as part of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or War Disablement Benefit)
  • Armed Forces Independence Payments
• were previously in care - you must have been in care on your 16th birthday and now be 18 or over, and under 25 years of age (prior to 31 May 2021 the upper age limit was 22)

Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA)

If you have been convicted of a serious offence you may be subject to MAPPA on release from prison. Some people subject to these arrangements are exempted from the Shared Accommodation rate. If MAPPA applies to you, you should report this to Universal Credit. If you are not sure, contact your probation officer, or criminal social justice worker in Scotland.