LHA Rates

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a way of working out Housing Benefit for people renting from private landlords. The LHA rules do not apply if you rent your home from a social landlord.

The LHA rate is used to work out the maximum benefit you could get. The amount of benefit you are awarded will depend on your income and savings. If your rent exceeds your benefit you will need to pay the shortfall.

The LHA rates from April 2012 to March 2013 are;

Number of Bedrooms	Weekly LHA Rate	Monthly LHA Rate
Shared Accommodation Rate	£55.00	£238.33
One Bedroom	£80.55	£349.05
Two Bedroom	£95.56	£414.09
Three Bedroom	£114.23	£495.00
Four Bedroom	£150.00	£650.00

LHA rates for previous years can be found in the Additional Resources box below.

Use the Bedroom Entitlement Calculator link to find out which Local Housing Allowance rate applies to you. Special rules apply to single people under 35 and tenants living in shared accommodation, see the relevant pages for more information.

If you are thinking of renting a property from a private landlord use the Benefit Calculator to find out if you can afford the rent before you move in.