Local Housing Allowance
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a new way of calculating housing benefit which is based on the area that you live, number of occupiers in the property and household size.
Who does local housing allowance apply to?
- Private tenants making a new claim
- Existing benefit claimants who change address to a private tenancy
- Claimants in private rented accommodation who have a break in their existing claim for benefit
LHA does not apply to you if:
- You are a council or a housing association tenant
- You have a tenancy that started before 1989
- You live in a caravan, mobile home or houseboat
But you can still get housing benefit to help with your rent.
If you are in board and lodging or charity supported accommodation you may not get LHA.
How much LHA can I get?
LHA does not depend on how much rent you pay. The LHA rates may be different for each area. These rates are set by the Rent Service, based on local rents. The Wycombe district is divided into three areas by the Rent Service: Chiltern, Aylesbury and Reading. The LHA for each area can be downloaded below.
Most tenants will get the LHA based on the number of rooms their household needs not the number of rooms in the property they rent or the rent that they are charged.
If your LHA is more than the rent then you can keep up to £15 of the difference. The LHA awarded when you make a claim lasts for one year unless your circumstances change.
LHA changes from April 2011
From April 2011 changes have been made to the Local Housing Allowance. These changes will affect the amount of benefit you get. See "Am I entitled to benefits" to find out more.
How many rooms am I allowed?
You are allowed one bedroom for
- each adult couple
- any other adult (aged 16 or over)
- any two children under 10
- any two children of the same sex aged 10 or over
- or for any other child
How will Local Housing Allowance be paid?
In most cases we will pay LHA directly to you and not your landlord. If you have a bank account you can arrange for your bank to pay your rent direct to your landlord.
Safeguards
There may be some customers who are unable to manage their own affairs. Where this is the case, payment of LHA can be made direct to the landlord.