What is the Local
Housing Allowance?
If you are a private tenant
renting 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).
What is Local Housing
Allowance?
-
It is a new way of working out
Housing
Benefit based on the area you live, the number of people living
with you and the household size.
-
It helps towards your rent if you are on low
income
-
It is a much fairer way of calculating Housing
Benefit, as it makes sure that tenants in similar circumstances in
the same area receive the same amount of financial support for
their housing needs.
You will get Local Housing Allowance if:
-
You are a new benefit claimant
-
If you are currently receiving Housing Benefit, your
claim will remain unchanged unless you start a new tenancy, or your
circumstances change. When this happens your claim will be
considered using the Local Housing Allowance.
What else should I know?
You cannot get Local Housing Allowance if any of the
following apply to you:
-
you are a council or housing association
tenant
-
your tenancy started before 1989
-
you live in a caravan, mobile home or house
boat
But you may still be able to get Housing Benefit to
help with your rent. You can find out more about this from the
council's Housing Benefit Service. Local Housing Allowance does not
cover all housing costs. Because the amount of Local Housing
Allowance you may get is fixed you can work out what rent you can
afford. So when you look for somewhere to live you can work out how
much money you will have. Then you can choose a place that suits
your circumstances.
Local Housing Allowance will usually be paid directly to you, not
your landlord. You will receive payment either straight into a bank
account or by cheque. It is up to you to make sure that your rent
is paid to your landlord. If you do not pay your rent, you could be
evicted from your home.
If you live with a partner, only one of you can get Local Housing
Allowance. There are special rules if you are single and aged under
25 years or a childless couple sharing accommodation.
You cannot usually get Local Housing Allowance if you are a
full-time student, unless you are disabled or have children.
How much will I get?
The amount of Local Housing Allowance you can get depends on:
Local Housing Allowance does not depend on how much
rent you pay. The Local Housing Allowance rates may be different
for each area. These rates are not set by the council but are based
on local rents. If your rent is the same as Local Housing Allowance
you will usually get any Local Housing Allowance paid to you and
you will have to pay your rent to your landlord.
Acknowledgements
Information contained here is also available on the
Department of Works and Pensions (DWP)
website .
Also see Directgov website for more
details.
For more information on how Newham processes this new allowance
contact the Council's Benefit Service directly.
Download this information as a handy fact
sheet.