Local Housing Allowance

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 35 is allocated the shared room rate.

Local Housing Allowance amounts are set by the Valuation Office Agency.
 
You can find the Local Housing Allowance for a property and your circumstances at  https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk

Notes

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: 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.

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