Housing Benefits - Local Housing Allowance
Local Housing Allowance
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a new Government scheme, which changes the way claims for housing benefit are paid for tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord. New claims for housing benefit received by the Council on or after 7th April 2008 will be affected as well as tenants already in receipt of Housing Benefit who move into accommodation rented from a private landlord on or after that date. All other claimants already in receipt of housing benefit will not be affected.
The scheme is designed to pay the same amount to tenants with similar circumstances living in the same area. The Rent Service has defined three areas within the Borough known as Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMA). This will allow tenants to find out in advance how much support may be available towards their housing costs in a particular area of the Borough. Payment is usually paid directly to the tenants.
With effect from 1st August 2009 the North East Greater Manchester BRMA no longer exists, It has been replaced by two new BRMA's Tameside and Glossop and Oldham and Rochdale.
The tables below show the Local Housing Allowance rates from March 2010 for:
Tameside and Glossop Area
Majority of Ashton, Mossley and Denton plus all of Stalybridge, Dukinfield, Audenshaw, Longdendale, and Hyde.
| Number of bedrooms | Category | Weekly amount | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared room rate | A | £57.53 | £249.30 |
| 1 Bedroom | B | £90.90 | £393.90 |
| 2 Bedrooms | C | £103.56 | £448.76 |
| 3 Bedrooms | D | £126.58 | £548.51 |
| 4 Bedrooms | E | £166.85 | £723.02 |
| 5 Bedrooms | F | £205.97 | £892.54 |
Central Greater Manchester Area
Droylsden
| Number of bedrooms | Category | Weekly amount | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared room rate | A | £64.90 | £281.23 |
| 1 Bedroom | B | £103.56 | £448.76 |
| 2 Bedrooms | C | £125.52 | £543.92 |
| 3 Bedrooms | D | £138.08 | £598.35 |
| 4 Bedrooms | E | £184.11 | £797.81 |
| 5 Bedrooms | F | £253.15 | £1,096.98 |
South Greater Manchester Area
Denton (Danebank area)
| Number of bedrooms | Category | Weekly amount | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared room rate | A | £64.44 | £279.24 |
| 1 Bedroom | B | £103.56 | £448.76 |
| 2 Bedrooms | C | £126.58 | £548.51 |
| 3 Bedrooms | D | £149.59 | £648.22 |
| 4 Bedrooms | E | £212.88 | £922.48 |
| 5 Bedrooms | F | £299.18 | £1,296.45 |
Oldham and Rochdale Area
Small part of Mossley and Ashton (Postcodes OL5 OJL, OL5 0PL, OL5 0RN, OL5 9AB, OL5 9BN OL5 9BT, OL6 8AF, OL6 8AG, OL6 8AH, OL6 8AJ,OL6 8AL,OL6 8AN, OL6 8AP, OL6 8AQ, OL6 8AR, OL6 8AW and OL6 9AA)
| Number of bedrooms | Category | Weekly amount | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared room rate | A | £57.53 | £249.30 |
| 1 Bedroom | B | £86.30 | £373.97 |
| 2 Bedrooms | C | £103.56 | £448.76 |
| 3 Bedrooms | D | £121.97 | £528.54 |
| 4 Bedrooms | E | £149.59 | £648.22 |
| 5 Bedrooms | F | £195.62 | £847.69 |
The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for private tenants is worked out according to:
- which area they live
- who lives in the household
- the total household income
- the amount of savings
The following sets out the number of rooms used to calculate the amount of LHA payable dependant on who lives in the property:
One bedroom is allocated for:
- every adult couple
- any other adult (aged 16 or over)
- any two children of the same sex
- any two children (regardless of sex) under the age of 10
- any other child
A single person aged under 25 is allocated the shared room rate.
The number of living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms is ignored in this calculation
Using these categories, the total number of rooms will determine the rate of LHA that a claimant will qualify for. This rate is then used to calculate your weekly Housing Benefit entitlement taking into account who lives with you, which area you live in, how much money you have coming in and what savings you have.
Please note that a person may choose to live in a property that has more or less bedrooms than they are entitled to, but will be paid the LHA rate that is applicable to their household number (subject to a maximum amount over the rent of £15).
Please note : This article is only a guide. While we have tried to make sure that the information in this article is correct as at the publication date, the information may be subject to change.
To find out how to work out which Local Housing Allowance rate applies, see our leaflet ‘How to Apply for Local Housing Allowance’. If you have any queries or would like a copy of the LHA leaflet, you can:
| Contact Information | |
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 Send us a Message |
 Revenues Division Exchequer and Support Services Tameside MBC Council Offices Wellington Road Ashton under Lyne Lancs OL6 6DL View local map 
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 0161 342 3708
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 0161 342 2676/2012
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