Local Housing Allowance

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the new name for housing benefit for tenants in privately rented accommodation. The intention is to simplify the rules and to allow tenants more freedom - both financially, and to choose where they live.

If you are a private tenant i.e. you rent from a private landlord not a housing association there will be a change to how we work out your claim using the new rules if the following changes happen:

There is a break in your entitlement or you stop claiming for a time - even if it is just for a week;
You move to a new address.

Do you qualify for the Local Housing Allowance?

Step one: what type of tenancy do you have?

If you rent your home privately (e.g. from a landlord) you may qualify for the Local Housing Allowance, except if:

You are renting your home from a housing association (e.g. Swale Housing Association);
You pay rent for accommodation where care, support and supervision is provided (e.g. by a housing association, a local authority, a charity or a voluntary organisation);
Your tenancy began before 15 January 1989 or is under the same rules that applied then, or;
You live in a caravan, houseboat, mobile home or a hostel (including temporary bed and breakfast accommodation).

These tenancies will have their benefit assessed under the normal housing benefit rules that applied before the LHA scheme started.Get an estimate of how much you may be entitled to online by going to our benefit calculator at the bottom of this page or phone us on 01795 417555 about making a claim.

How is the Allowance calculated?

The Rent Service will provide us with Local Housing Allowance rates each month. There will be a set of rates ranging from a shared 1-room rate up to a 5-room rate. The rate you are entitled to will depend on who lives with you.

Step two: How many rooms can you claim for?

This will depend on the number of people who live with you. For example a single person under 35 will only be entitled to the shared rate LHA. If you are over 35 with or without a partner, and you have no children, then you will be entitled to the shared rate if you live in shared accommodation or the 1-room rate if you live in self-contained accommodation.

For everyone else with children or non-dependants then the LHA is based on the number of rooms you are allowed.

One bedroom for:

Every adult couple;
Any other adult aged 16 or over
Any two children of the same sex up to 15 years;
Any two children regardless of sex under age 10;
Any other child.

Note: The number of living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms is ignored for the purpose of the calculation.

What are the rates of LHA?

The Rent Officer sets the levels of LHA every month for properties of up to four rooms. Even if you need more than four rooms, your allowance will be restricted to the four-bedroom rate.

How is the Allowance calculated?

There are three areas that the levels of LHA are calculated on in Swale. Canterbury, Maidstone and Swale/Medway. To work out which area you live in go to The Local Housing Allowance Rates page (The link is at the bottom of this page) or go to the LHA webpage on Direct Gov.

LHA is not based upon how much rent is actually charged. If the rent is higher than the LHA, the tenant will normally have to pay the extra cost, although in exceptional circumstances there may be extra help available.

If the rent is lower than the LHA, the maximum Housing Benefit payable will be the rent due.

Other benefit rules regarding income, capital, members of the household and rent liability apply in the same way to LHA as to Housing Benefit.

What to do next

As with Housing Benefit, finding out whether you qualify for Local Housing Allowance, and how much you would get, is more complex than simply answering the questions in Step one and Step two above. If you would like some further advice or you would like to make a claim: