What is it and how is it calculated?
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the way the council works out claims for Housing Benefit for tenants renting accommodation from private landlords (unless they are claiming housing costs through Universal Credit).
With LHA your Housing Benefit will be based on:
- Who lives with you
- Which area you live in
- Your income, capital and other personal circumstances
The amount of rent you are charged does not determine how much LHA you may be entitled to, that will be calculated using the standard rates set out below.
LHA rates
| 1 bedroom shared rate | 1 bedroom (self-contained) | 2 bedroom | 3 bedroom | 4 bedroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £65.50 | £86.30 | £111.62 | £128.88 | £149.59 |
The above rates apply for the period 1 April 2022 to the 31 March 2023.
Please note that under Local Housing Allowance (LHA) regulations a bedroom is allowed for each of the following:
- If you are a single person under 35 years old with no dependant children you will only be entitled to the 1-bedroom shared rate, regardless of the accommodation you are living in.
- If you are a single person aged 35 or over, or a couple with no dependant children, you will be entitled to the 1-bedroom shared rate if you are living in a property with shared facilities (e.g. a bedsit with shared kitchen/bathroom/toilet), or the 1-bedroom rate if you have exclusive use of the dwelling (e.g. a self-contained flat).
- In all other cases a bedroom is allowed to calculate the LHA rate for an adult, an adult couple, a young person over 16, 2 children of the same sex under 16, 2 children under 10, a separate child.
The LHA-Direct website has been developed to enable tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord to calculate the number of bedrooms that apply and the maximum amount of Housing Benefit available to them from their Local Authority.