Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
Summary
On 7 April 2008 the government introduced changes to the way that Housing Benefit is worked out and paid for people who rent accommodation from a private landlord.
The changes are:
- Local Housing Allowance (LHA) will replace the present system of using rental values for properties to decide the amount of Housing Benefit a person is entitled to and
- Payments of LHA will be made directly to the tenant rather than the landlord or agent in the majority of cases.
Not everyone will be affected by these changes.
Local Housing Allowance is the new way of working out the maximum Housing Benefit a person can get. It will be based on the size of a person’s household and how many bedrooms the household needs. This rate will be the same for all households with similar circumstances living in the same area.
Further Information
Please see our main Local Housing Allowance page.