The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a new method of calculating housing benefit for private tenants from 7 April 2008.
Some groups of people will be exempt from the LHA scheme these are listed below:
- registered social landlord tenancies (these currently only have to be referred to the rent officer in certain circumstances)
- protected cases, such as supported housing provided by certain local authorities, social landlords, charities and voluntary organisations
- tenancies which are excluded from current rent restrictions (such as pre-1989 tenancies)
- exceptional cases such as caravans, houseboats and hostels
- cases where the rent officer judges that a substantial part of the rent is attributable to board and attendance (e.g. hotel accommodation)
Exempt cases will have their Housing Benefit calculated under the existing Housing Benefit rules.
People currently getting Housing Benefit will continue to do so under the existing rules until one of the following changes occurs in their circumstances:
- change of address
- a break in entitlement to Housing Benefit of at least 1 week
- entitlement to Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit ends and you are awarded an extended payment
Any claims for benefit outside these circumstances will be dealt with under the LHA rules and assessed against the current LHA rates.
How Much LHA Will I Receive?
The amount of weekly LHA that you get will depend on the level of your income and savings. If you receive income support, Guaranteed Pension Credit or jobseekers allowance (income based) your benefit will be based on maximum LHA.
We may make a deduction from your benefit for any other adults you have living with you.