Local Housing Allowance
Summary
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the new name for housing benefit for tenants in privately rented accommodation. The intention is to simplify the rules and to allow tenants more freedom – both financially, and to choose where they live.
Up to April 2008, the Local Housing Allowance scheme had been trialled by several councils, including us. We started on 6 June 2005. The final scheme was rolled out to the whole country from 7 April 2008.
If you're already claiming LHA and you're here for the latest rates, download this month's by following the link under 'Downloads' below.
Important!
Under the new rules from April 2008, the maximum amount of benefit a tenant can get is limited to their weekly rent (or the equivalent if not weekly) plus £15. However, if you are already getting Local Housing Allowance on 7 April 2008 you will be no worse off than before until April 2009, unless your circumstances change.
We will change to working out your claim using the new rules if the following changes happen:
- There is a break in your entitlement or you stop claiming for a time - even if just for a week;
- You move to a new address;
- The number of people in the household reduces;
- The number of people in the household increases so that the Local Housing Allowance rate under the new rules is greater than the Local Housing Allowance currently being used.
There are special rules, however, to maintain the existing Local Housing Allowance rate where someone living in the household dies and where this would normally affect it.
Downloads
The following link(s) require a plug-in, and will open in a new browser window [
]. About downloading files.
Further information
Do you qualify for the Local Housing Allowance?
Step one: what type of tenancy do you have?
If you rent your home privately (e.g. from a landlord) you may qualify for the Local Housing Allowance, except if:
- you are renting your home from a housing association (e.g. Saffron Housing Trust);
- you pay rent for accommodation where care, support and supervision is provided (e.g. by a housing association, a local authority, a charity or a voluntary organisation);
- your tenancy began before 15 January 1989 or is under the same rules that applied then, or;
- you live in a caravan, houseboat, mobile home or a hostel (including temporary bed and breakfast accommodation).
These tenancies will have their benefit assessed under the normal housing benefit rules that applied befor the LHA scheme started. Get an estimate of how much you might be entitled to online, or make a claim now.
How is the Allowance calculated?
The Rent Service will provide us with Local Housing Allowance rates each month. There will be a set of rates ranging from a shared 1-room rate up to a 6–room rate. The rate you are entitled to will depend on who lives with you.
Step two: how many rooms can you claim for?
This will depend on the number of people who live with you. For example a single person under 25 will only be entitled to the shared rate LHA. If you are over 25 with or without a partner, and you have no children, then you will be entitled to the shared rate if you live in shared accommodation or the one bedroom rate if you live in self-contained accommodation.
For everyone else with children or non-dependants then the LHA is based on the number of bedrooms you are allowed. The size criteria is based solely on the number of bedrooms needed.
One bedroom is allowed for each of the following:
- Every adult couple;
- Any other adult aged 16 or over
- Any two children of the same sex up to 15 years;
- Any two children regardless of sex under age 10;
- Any other child.
What are the rates of LHA?
The Rent Officer sets the levels of LHA every month for properties of up to six rooms (comprising of bedrooms and living rooms only). The current rates can be downloaded by following the link under 'downloads' above. How is the Allowance calculated?
From December 2007 there has been just one set of LHA rates for the whole of Norwich and central Norfolk. Previously the Rent Service set rates for three separate areas –Norwich, Norfolk South and East.
LHA is not based upon how much rent is actually charged: if your rent is lower than the weekly LHA, you can keep up to £15 per week of the difference. This could allow you to move to a better property within the same area, or to negotiate repairs or improvements to your home and allow you to pay a higher rent.
If the rent is higher than the LHA, the tenant will normally have to pay the extra cost, although in exceptional circumstances there may be extra help available.
Other benefit rules regarding income, capital, members of the household and rent liability apply in the same way to LHA as to housing benefit.
What to do next
As with Housing Benefit, finding out whether you qualify for Local Housing Allowance, and how much you would get, is more complex than simply answering the questions in Step one and Step two above.
The best thing to do is to make a benefit claim. If you would like some help and advice on the Local Housing Allowance system, our contact details are given below.
We have also produced some guidance notes on the Local Housing Allowance for vulnerable tenants, which explains the circumstances in which the Allowance can be paid direct to a landlord:
Download the Local Housing Allowance Guide for Vulnerable Tenants [PDF, 57k]
Related pages on this website
Contact us
| contact officer/team: | Local Housing Allowance Officer |
|---|---|
| web: | online enquiry form |
| email: | benefitsmailbox@s-norfolk.gov.uk |
| freephone: | 0808 178 7143 |
| telephone: | 01508 533923 |
| minicom/textphone: | 01508 533622 |
| address: | South Norfolk Council South Norfolk House Swan Lane Long Stratton Norwich NR15 2XE |
|
|
|
If you need information in large print, audio cassette, braille, translation (written or verbal) or signed interpretation, let us know when you contact us.
