Local Housing Allowance
For information about changes to Housing Benefit from April 2011 please see the News tab above and/or view the timetable of changes. A copy of the information letter can also be downloaded.
This micro site is dedicated to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) which was introduced on the 7th of April 2008.
LHA is a scheme of Housing Benefit for people living in private rented sector accommodation, with some exceptions to the scheme including:
- Local Authority tenancies
- Housing Association tenancies
- Supported accommodation provided by local authorities, social landlords, charities or voluntary organisations
- Tenancies that started before 15/01/1989
- Tenancies with substantial board and attendance
LHA is usually paid to the tenant. Under LHA a tenant cannot simply request that payment is made to a landlord to cover their rent. "Vulnerability" or the tenant being unable/unlikely to pay must be proved first.
The rent service website has a dedicated frequently asked questions area, but if you can not find the answer you are looking for please see our frequently asked questions page and submit the question to us.
At the rent service website you can also search to see which BMRA (Broad Rental Market Areas) your home falls into, calculate what level of LHA you are entitled to and see the current rates of LHA, alternatively if you already know which area your home falls into, then current rates are available on our website.
If there is a feature that you would like to see on this website please let us know.