Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the way we will work out your housing benefit if you rent your home from a private landlord. It is based on where you live, and who lives with you.
Your allowance rate is based on the number of bedrooms you and your household needs. This can often be different to the total number of bedrooms in the property.
| Single person | One bedroom |
| Couple | One bedroom |
| Two children age ten and under (whatever their sex) | Expected to share one bedroom |
| Two children age up to 16 of the same sex | Expected to share one bedroom |
If you are single and under of 35, you will normally get the 'shared accommodation' rate of Local Housing Allowance, no matter how many bedrooms your property has.
Under-35-year-olds may be entitled to a higher LHA rate if:
- you are responsible for any children
- have a non-dependent adult living with you (not a joint tenant)
- are classed as 'severely disabled' in your benefit claim (you receive the middle or higher rate of disability living allowance), and no one receives carer’s allowance for looking after you, and if no non-dependent adults live with you
- you have lived in hostels for homeless people for a total of at least three months, and while there were offered, and accepted support services
- you are an ex-offender, aged 25 or over, who is subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). We would need to see evidence that you are a category two or three (MAPPA) offender
- you are a young person who has left local authority care