Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is used to work out how much housing benefit you can get if you rent your home from a private landlord.
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are determined by The Valuation Office Agency Rent Officers and are based on private market rental values being paid.
LHA is used to calculate housing benefit for tenants renting from private landlords.
LHA rates are based on rents being paid by people with the same number of bedrooms as the property where you live, or the number of rooms you and your household needs.
You can check your LHA rates here.
You can also check how many bedrooms you may be eligible for. This is based on the number of people in your household.For a more detailed guide, visit our Local Housing Allowance page.
If you rent from us, a housing association or have a shared ownership home, different rules are used to calculate your housing benefit.
From 1st April 2012 the Rent Officer will set annual LHA rates. Prior to this the levels were set each month for accommodation ranging from a shared-room rate up to and including a 4 bedroom rate in each rental area.
Housing Benefit only pays for a maximum 4 bedrooms, even if the size of your family exceeds this. The LHA rate that applies, is normally the month we receive your form.
However, if your benefit is backdated or the start date of your benefit falls in a different month, that months LHA rate will apply.
From 1st April 2012 the effect of this will be eliminated as the rates are set for the whole year.
LHA rate for 1st April 2018 to 31st March 2019
CAMBRIDGE | HUNTINGDON | STEVENAGE + NORTH HERTS | |
Room rate | Cost per week / month | Cost per week / month | Cost per week / month |
Shared room rate | £80.52 week /£349.88 month | £63.50 week/£275.92 month | £72.04 week/£313.03 month |
1 bedroom rate | £129.83 week /£564.14 month | £108.04 week/£469.46 month | £129.81 week/£564.06 month |
2 bedroom rate | £149.31 week/ £648.79 month | £129.78 week £563.93 month | £160.03 week/£695.37 month |
3 bedroom rate | £173.50 week/£753.90 month | £154.91 week/£673.12 month | £197.81 week/£859.53 month |
4 bedroom rate | £231.44 week/£1005.66 month | £198.11 week/£860.84 month | £253.34 week/£1,100.82 month |
NB: This is NOT a full list of all the tenancy types that are exempt from the new LHA scheme.
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