# The Income-related Benefits (Subsidy to Authorities) Order 1998, Paragraph 17: Interpretation


(1) In this Schedule, unless the context otherwise requires—
“appropriate indicative rent level" means the indicative rent level for the category of dwelling into which the dwelling in question falls, as described in paragraph 11 of Schedule 1 to the Rent Officers Order or paragraph 9 of Schedule 1 to the Rent Officers Order 1995, as the case may be, except that, where a payment on account is made to a young individual, the category of dwelling shall be that within head (b) of paragraph 9(3) of that Schedule, less, in the case of a dwelling falling within that head or head (a) of that paragraph, any amount ineligible to be met under paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit Regulations or, as the case may be, paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (meal ... charges);
“claim-related rent” means the rent notified by the rent officer under paragraph 9(1) of Schedule 1 to the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997 or, as the case may be, the Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) (Scotland) Order 1997;
“designated rent" means—
(a)in a case where a rent officer has determined both a property-specific rent and a size-related rent, whichever is the lower of the two;
(b)in a case where a rent officer has determined only a property-specific rent or a size-related rent, as the case may be, that rent;
(c)in a case where a rent officer has determined a claim-related rent, that rent;
“ineligible amounts” means—
(a)in a case where the rent officer has determined a claim-related rent—
(i)any amount in respect of amounts ineligible to be met by housing benefit under paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit Regulations or, as the case may be, paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (amounts ineligible for meals);
(ii)where the dwelling is a hostel as defined in regulation 2(1) of the Housing Benefit Regulations or, as the case may be, regulation 2(1) of the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (interpretation), any amount ineligible to be met by housing benefit under (as the case may be)—
(aa)paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit Regulations (ineligible service charges), other than sub-paragraphs (d) to (f) of that paragraph; or
(bb)paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (ineligible service charges), other than sub-paragraphs (d) to (f) of that paragraph;
(b)in any other case, except as provided in the definition of “property-specific rent less ineligible amounts” below,—
(i)any amount which the rent officer determines is attributable to the provision of services ineligible to be met by housing benefit, plus the amount in respect of fuel charges ineligible to be met under Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit Regulations or, as the case may be, Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (payments in respect of fuel charges);
(ii)any amount in respect of amounts ineligible to be met by housing benefit under paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit Regulations or, as the case may be, paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (amounts ineligible for meals);
(iii)where the dwelling is in a hostel as defined in regulation 2 of the Housing Benefit Regulations (interpretation), any amount ineligible to be met by housing benefit under paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to those Regulations or, as the case may be, paragraph 1 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (ineligible service charges), other than sub-paragraphs (d) to (f) of those paragraphs.
“property-specific rent", except as provided in the definition of “property-specific rent less ineligible amounts" below, means the rent determined by a rent officer under paragraph 1(2) of Schedule 1 to the Rent Officers Order or to the Rent Officers Order 1995, as the case may be, except in a case where a rent officer has made a rent determination under paragraph 3 of that Schedule, when it means that rent;
“property-specific rent less ineligible amounts" has the meaning otherwise ascribed to those terms in this paragraph, except, subject to article 23(1), in a case where the property-specific rent is an exceptionally high rent and the rent officer has notified the authority that the exceptionally high rent determined by him does not include a payment ineligible for housing benefit under paragraph 1(a)(i) or paragraph 5 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit Regulations or, as the case may be, paragraph 1(a)(i) or paragraph 5 of Schedule 1 to the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations (ineligible service charges for food and fuel), as the case may be (“ineligible payments"), when it means that exceptionally high rent less ineligible amounts other than ineligible payments;
“size-related rent" means the rent determined by a rent officer under paragraph 2(2) of Schedule 1 to the Rent Officers Order or the Rent Officers Order 1995, as the case may be,
and other expressions used both in this Schedule and in the Rent Officers Order or the Rent Officers Order 1995, as the case may be, or in both this Schedule and (as the case may be) in regulation 13 of the Housing Benefit Regulations or regulation 13 of the Housing Benefit (State Pension Credit) Regulations shall have the same meanings in this Schedule as they have in that Order or in that regulation, as the case may be.
(2) Except in a case to which sub-paragraph (3) applies, in this Schedule any reference to a rent officer’s determination is, in any case where there has been more than one such determination, a reference to the last such determination.
(3) In a case where the last determination referred to in sub-paragraph (2) was made on the basis of—
(a) the terms of the tenancy of a dwelling; or
(b) the size or composition of the household occupying that dwelling,
which were not appropriate to the claim for a rent allowance in respect of which the allowance was granted, any reference to a rent officer’s determination is to the last such determination which was appropriate to that claim.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/562/schedule/4/paragraph/17 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/income-related-benefits-subsidy-to-authorities-order-1998/schedule-4/paragraph-17
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.