became an approved foster carer in the last 12 months. member of the claimant's family, ie her/his partner or dependent child/young person who is part of the claimant's household. LHA is a housing benefit for people on a low income who rent accommodation from a private landlord. The maximum amount you can get is the local housing allowance (LHA) rate that applies to your household. LHA does not depend on how much rent you pay, but on the LHA rates for the area you live in. Shared accommodation is where a claimant has the sole use of a bedroom, but shares at least a living room, kitchen or bathroom. You can work out your household rate by using the calculator below: Calculate your room entitlement You are allowed one bedroom for: every adult couple; every adult aged 16 or over [25] reg 2(3) Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2011 SI 2011/1736; HB Circular A12/2011 (Revised); HB Circular A14/2011. [3] para 4 Sch.3B Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Amendment Order 2007 SI 2007/2871. The LHA for a person living in a property that has five bedrooms or more is based on the four-bedroom rate. The LHA bedroom calculator will help you to work out how many bedrooms you are entitled to and the room rate applicable to you. [16], In order to qualify for a bedroom ont he grounds of needing a non-resident carer or not being able to share a bedroom, the disabled person must be in receipt of one or more of:[17]. Each local authority area is divided into a number of distinct broad rental market areas (BRMAs). A single claimant aged 35 and over, or a couple of any age, may be assessed as qualifying for the shared accommodation rate unless they have:[22]. If the council think you have too many bedrooms. See Restrictions on eligible rents for social rented sector tenants for more information about the definition of a bedroom, and about any connection that there must be between a bedroom and the class of person actually expected to occupy it (see the paragraph 'the connection issue'). From April 2012 LHA rates will be updated annually instead of monthly. How many bedrooms the tenant is entitled to under LHA. Your housing benefit will be based on this number of bedrooms, not on the size of the property you live in. [18] reg 13D Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 SI 2006/213, as amended by para 2(6) Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2010 SI 2010/2835. is entitled to more bedrooms under the criteria used to calculate the size of property they require. The payments will be made into your bank account or by cheque. For those aged 25 or over only, there are two additional categories of exemptions:[25]. [5] Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Amendment (No. Enter the details of all the people living in your household and select 'Calculate'. The LHA for a person living in a property that has five bedrooms or more is based on the four-bedroom rate. [12] reg 13D(11) Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 SI 2006/213, as amended by Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2013 SI 2013/665; Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Amendment Order 2013 SI 2013/666; HB Circular A10/2013. Our main site is at www.shelter.org.uk✕. For further information see Benefit cap. To work out how many bedrooms your household you can use the Directgov LHA bedroom calculator. exclusive use of one room and a bathroom, toilet, and kitchen (or cooking facilities). Required information is marked with an asterisk (*). [3], The local rent officer is required to define each BRMA. For couples and single people claiming under certain circumstances the number of bedrooms you are entitled to is fixed. Date of Change From April 2011 all new Housing Benefit claims by private sector tenants have been calculated under the new rules. March 10, 2021, © Shelter 2021
Housing benefit is calculated by reference to a claimant's eligible rent. a non-resident carer who provides overnight care (for details see below). Shared accommodation rate for under 35 year old single people January 2012. From this date, the maximum LHA rates will increase by 1.7% CPI.[31]. However, see 'Shared accommodation rate' below for how the LHA rate for a joint tenancy is calculated. LHA will apply to you if you are a private tenant and you or your partner are: How payments are made. Your rate of LHA depends on the number of bedrooms in your home, and on which of the eight Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs) your home is located. There are 5 different LHA rate levels depending on the following categories of property: shared accommodation (room in a shared property), 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms and 4 bedrooms. In one case,[33] where the local authority had erroneously advised about the amount of LHA a claimant would be entitled to when moving from temporary accommodation to private renting, the Ombudsman recommended that the local authority paid the difference between the LHA rate paid and the rent for the duration of the fixed-term tenancy. This does not necessarily mean on duty outside the UK, it also covers pre-deployment training and post-operation leave (ie 'normalisation'), had been a non-dependant when living at home. Renting from a Private Landlord For most private tenants Housing Benefit is based on the Local Housing Allowance rate, not the actual rent charge. This page is targeted at housing professionals. Calculate your bedroom entitlement under Local Housing Allowance or find your LHA rate. You can use the bedroom calculator to find this out. [30] Sch.3B Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Order 1997 SI 1997/1984 as amended by art 2 Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Local Housing Allowance Amendments) Order 2015 SI 2015/1753 and art 2 The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Amendment) Order 2020 SI 2020/27; para 1.137 Summer Budget 2015. LHA rates are updated and come into effect from April each year. The decision making process whereby a BRMA is drawn or the LHA rates are set could be challenged by judicial review. [2] A claimant cannot receive more in housing benefit than their actual rent, even if their actual rent is less than the applicable LHA rate. care component of DLA at the higher or middle rate, daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP). (from 1 April 2017) disabled non-dependant adult. Once the BRMA has been defined, the rent officer determines LHA rates for different categories of dwelling in that area. If you are private tenants claiming Housing Benefit as a couple and share facilities with other joint tenants you will only get the shared accommodation rate of Local Housing Allowance. Or use the VOA LHA bedroom calculator. [13] reg 13D(11) Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 SI 2006/213, as amended by Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2013 SI 2013/665; Rent Officers (Housing Benefit Functions) Amendment Order 2013 SI 2013/666; HB Circular A10/2013. a tenant claiming for a mooring or the letting of a house boat / other vessel used as a dwelling, a tenant claiming for a caravan site rent or the letting of a caravan / mobile home, a tenant whose rent includes a substantial amount for board and attendance. The site also has a LHA Bedroom Calculator to explain the number of rooms that are used to decide LHA. An additional bedroom is allowed for a:[9], Where both categories apply, two additional bedrooms are allowed. Between April 2016 and 31 March 2020, the LHA rate is the lowest of:[30], The April 2015 LHA rate 'freeze' ends on 1 April 2020. Please check and resubmit. The LHA is based on the rent levels for the area as determined by the Valuation Office Agency and how many people there are living in the household, not the actual rent charged for the property. is away 'on operations'. The criteria used to calculate the size of property that a household requires is that there must be one bedroom for each:[6]. [21] reg 2(1) Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 SI 2006/213 as amended by reg 2(2) Housing Benefit (Amendment) Regulations 2011 SI 2011/1736; and reg 13D(2) Housing Benefit Regulations 2006 SI 2006/213. For more details read our Guide on Local Housing Allowance (PDF, 164kb).. Can I get LHA? This does not apply to couples claiming Universal Credit who are still entitled to one bedroom. Local Housing Allowance: LHA bedroom calculator Please note that single people under the age of 35 are entitled to the Shared Accommodation Rate. who are approved foster carers who either have a child placed with them, or who have not had a child placed with them for no longer than 52 weeks. Authorities should take steps to ensure that the up-to-date rates are brought to the attention of those who may be eligible.[29]. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our site. [33] Ombudsman complaint against Newham LBC, 9 November 2010 09/003/325. Required information is marked with an asterisk (*). LHA rates relate to the area in which you make your claim. homeless people who had spent at least three months in a hostel (as defined in the regulations, certain ex-offenders who pose a risk of serious harm to the public and are subject to Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). [23] Joint tenants who are not a couple will each qualify for one bedroom at the rate for shared accommodation. [18] This cannot be exceeded even if a claimant: A claimant can apply for a discretionary housing payment (DHP) to help make up a shortfall. By continuing to use the site you agree to our use of cookies. aged under 22 who had been subject to a care order when aged 16 or 17, aged under 22 who were formerly provided with accommodation by social services under section 20 of the Children Act 1989, who have a non-dependant living with them.