Legacy benefits and moving house to a difference area?

[SeaDreaming]

I've a question about benefits and how they're affected by moving house.
I'm currently receiving ESA (support group), along with PIP and the associated automatic single person disability premiums. My landlord directly receives my local housing allowance (LHA).

I'm hoping to move to a different area (well, different county) and am trying to find out whether this would mean I automatically have to go onto universal credit once I move? If so, do my current legacy benefit levels (including the disability premium components) get protected, or would I lose them?

Or would nothing change other than the address on my ESA and PIP records/having to make a new LHA claim in the new area and end my current one?

Thanks in advance!

*different area, not difference area!

Bumping this for you.

I've recently had a similar move, and have managed to currently be on PIP and Contribution-Based ESA although I'm in a Universal Credit area. (Although obviously they messed around with the paperwork and left me with no money coming in at all for more than 8 weeks).

But I can't say what would happen with Income-Based ESA and the housing allowance.

Do you have severe disability premium within your ESA award?

If so you can make a new Hb claim with the new council.

Thanks for the replies! Yep, my ESA includes the severe disability premium. I forgot that PIP is separate to UC..

I'm on a mix of contribution based and income related ESA (I don't fully understand it, but I'm told it's right).

Sorry you had to wait so long to get your claim sorted @PerkingFaintly - that's horrendous. And definitely worth bearing in mind.

If you receive sdp on your ESA then it is not possible to claim UC, so you would make a new claim for Housing benefit with the new local authority where you are moving to.

Thank you for that - you've all helped remove a whole chunk of potential anxiety