Local Housing Allowance

If you rent a property or room from a private landlord, the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) can be used to work out how much Housing Benefit you can get.

The amount of benefit you get will depend on where you live and who lives with you. Payments will usually made to you and it is up to you to pay your landlord.

Who the LHA applies to

If you started receiving Housing Benefit before 7 April 2008, the LHA will only apply to you if you:

• change address
• have a break in your claim

LHA does not apply if you:

• pay rent to the council
• pay rent to a registered social landlord (such as a housing association)
• pay a rent that has been registered as a ‘air rent
• have a tenancy that is excluded from the current Housing Benefit rent restrictions (such as tenancies from before 1989)
• live in a hostel, caravan, mobile home or houseboat

How LHA rates are worked out

Each local authority is divided into areas called broad rental market areas (BRMAs). The rent service sets monthly LHA rates for different size properties in each of these areas.

The amount of LHA that you can receive depends on:

• the area you live in (this will establish the BRMA you live in)
• who lives with you (this will determine the size of property you are allowed)

Property size

When deciding the correct property size, the claimant is allowed one bedroom for:

• every adult couple (married or unmarried)
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any two children under age 10
• any two children of the same sex under the age of 16
• any other child

Claimants aged under 25 who live alone

If you are single and aged under 25 you are entitled to the standard rate for a room in shared accommodation (also known as the shared LHA rate). This applies if you have your own room, but share some or all facilities (for example, living room, kitchen or bathroom).

How the LHA affects landlords

As well as the amount of benefit paid, the main effect for landlords is that the LHA is usually paid to the tenant. Tenants are responsible for paying rent to the landlord.

Safeguards: paying rent directly to the landlord

Safeguards will be put in place if you are struggling with the responsibility of paying your rent. We have the authority to make payment direct to a landlord where evidence is provided to support this course of action. Find out more in our LHA safeguard policy.

We may decide to make payments direct to the landlord if:

• we consider that you are likely to have difficulty managing your affairs (for example, if you are vulnerable, including if you have a disability)
• we think you are unlikely to use your housing benefit to pay rent (for example, if we know you have consistently failed to pay rent in the past)
• you have built up rent arrears of more than 8 weeks

Example weekly rates: April 2024 to March 2025

Rates are determined by the number of bedrooms your household requires (as defined in the LHA regulations) and by the area you live in. You can find rates for your area at LHA-Direct (a Valuation Office Agency service).