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This page explains how Local Housing Allowance works.
For official guidance please go to
The Rent Service’s LHA direct website.
From April 7th 2008 a new system called Local Housing Allowance is being introduced to calculate the maximum amount people renting from a private landlord can claim for. This maximum rent is based on the area you live in and the number of bedrooms you need.
Local Housing Allowance will only affect people renting from a private landlord who enter into a private tenancy agreement after April 7th 2008, who make a new claim for Housing Benefit after April 7th 2008, or who have a break in their Housing Benefit entitlement.
The number of people who live with you as members of your family determines how many bedrooms you need and the size of the accommodation you will qualify for under the LHA rules. Other rooms such as living rooms, kitchens or toilets are not included in LHA rules.
One bedroom is allowed for the following:
- each adult couple
- any other adult (aged 16 or over)
- any two children under 10
- any two children of the same sex aged 10 to 15
- or for any other child.
Shared accomodation and under 25s
You may not get the bedroom based rate of LHA if you share some or all of the facilities in the property you rent. A shared accommodation rate applies to people who have their own bedroom but share other parts of their home with other tenant
Most single people aged under 25 will only qualify for the shared accommodation rate regardless of the type of accommodation they live in.
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