Local Housing Allowance bedroom rates

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 rates

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.

How does Local housing allowance (LHA) affect you?

If you rent from us, a housing association or have a shared ownership home, different rules are used to calculate your housing benefit.

LHA has many of the same rules as Housing Benefit. However there are some rules that limit the amount of help you can get for a private rented home. LHA is usually paid direct to you rather than to your landlord.

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.

Current Local Housing Allowance rates

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

The following tenants are NOT affected by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) bedroom rates scheme

Registered social landlord tenancies e.g., Council or Housing Associations
protected cases, such as tenancies provided by a charity or voluntary body who also provide support services
tenancies which are excluded from the existing rent restrictions, such as pre 1989 tenancies
tenancies of caravans, houseboats, mobile homes and hostels
board and lodge accommodation where The Rent Service (TRS) has decided that a substantial part of the rent is attributable to board and attendance.

NB: This is NOT a full list of all the tenancy types that are exempt from the new LHA scheme.

Local Housing Allowance bedroom rates

Housing advice

Local Housing Allowance rates

How does Local housing allowance (LHA) affect you?

Current Local Housing Allowance rates

The following tenants are NOT affected by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) bedroom rates scheme

Related Information

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