Local Housing Allowance

How LHA is calculated

Tenants with similar circumstances are entitled to the same category of allowance regardless of how much rent they pay.

Number of bedrooms allowed

Bedrooms not living rooms
The number of bedrooms that a household needs determines the size of property that will be used to set the LHA category. The Valuation Office Agency's (VOA) size criteria determine the number of bedrooms required.

Find out what category of LHA you will come under and how LHA is worked out

LHA capping
If the rent you pay is less than the weekly LHA rate, you will receive no more than the amount you need to pay for your rent.

The VOA sets the rates for each property size according to the number of bedrooms. These rates are published yearly and can be found on the VOA website.

If you are a landlord you can submit market evidence to help the VOA set the rates.

Maximum LHA rates payable

The maximum housing benefit that you can receive cannot be more than the rent that you pay or the LHA evaluation, whichever is the lowest.

The LHA rates for the area that you live in are published on the VOA website.