Local housing allowance
If you are a private tenant renting a property or room from a private landlord and you are on a low income, you may be able to claim and receive Local Housing Allowance (LHA).
You can claim LHA by completing a housing benefit claim.
How much will I get?
The amount of housing benefit/local housing allowance rate you receive is based on the number of bedrooms your household needs.
One bedroom is counted for:
- each adult or adult couple
- a person who is not a child (aged 16 and over)
- every two children under the age of 16 if they are of the same gender
- every two children under age 10 (regardless of gender)any other child
- a non resident carer if you or your partner need overnight care
- foster carers will be allowed one additional room so long as they have fostered a child or become an approved foster carer within the last 52 weeks
- parents with adult children in the armed forces (or reservists) who normally live with them will be able to retain the bedroom for that adult child when they are deployed on operations
To work out how many bedrooms your household needs please use the bedroom calculator.
LHA rates from 1 April 2018
The LHA amounts are reviewed on the 1 April each year.
Rates for 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 are:
| |
Weekly rate
|
|
Single room (in a shared property)
|
£53.05
|
|
1 bedroom
|
£73.64
|
|
2 bedrooms
|
£94.36
|
|
3 bedrooms
|
£103.56
|
|
4 bedrooms
|
£136.25
|
LHA rates from 1 April 2017
The LHA amounts are reviewed on the 1 April each year.
Rates for 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018 are:
| |
Weekly rate
|
|
Single room (in a shared property)
|
£51.50
|
|
1 bedroom
|
£73.64
|
|
2 bedrooms
|
£94.36
|
|
3 bedrooms
|
£103.56
|
|
4 bedrooms
|
£136.25
|
LHA rates from 1 April 2015
The LHA amounts are reviewed on the 1 April each year.
Rates for 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016 are:
| |
Weekly rate
|
|
Single room (in a shared property)
|
£53.50
|
|
1 bedroom
|
£74.79
|
|
2 bedrooms
|
£94.36
|
|
3 bedrooms
|
£103.56
|
|
4 bedrooms
|
£136.25
|
LHA rates from 1 April 2014
The LHA amounts are reviewed on the 1 April each year.
Rates for 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015 are:
| |
Weekly rate
|
|
Single room (in a shared property)
|
£53.50
|
|
1 bedroom
|
£74.59
|
|
2 bedrooms
|
£94.36
|
|
3 bedrooms
|
£103.56
|
|
4 bedrooms
|
£134.90
|
Are you under 35?
If you are living alone and under 35 years old you are only entitled to the single room rate. However, certain under 35's are entitled to the one bedroom rate, these include the following:
- if you receive the middle or highest care component of disability living allowance
- if you are over 25 and have spent at least three months in a specialist hostel (or hostels) for homeless people and the main purpose of the hostel(s) was to provide accommodation, care, supervision or support to assist rehabilitation or resettlement in the community.