What is Local Housing Allowance

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) applies to most tenants who rent their home from a private landlord.

The Local Housing Allowance is the maximum amount that we can pay in housing benefit for different types of properties up to maximum of four bedrooms, in your area. This amount is set every year on 1 April.

Current LHA rates

Area

shared accommodation

one bedroom

two bedroom

three bedroom

four bedroom

Doncaster

including postcodes
S63, S72

And excludes those below

£70.00

£97.81

£115.07

£126.58

£166.85

Rotherham

mainly postcodes
DN11 9PJ
DN12 2BB
S60, S65
Some S66 (please check)

£80.85

£98.96

£115.07

£126.58

£188.14

What is my LHA?

There are different LHA rates for:

• shared accommodation (this applies to most single people under 35)
• one bedroom property
• two bedroom property
• three bedroom property
• four bedroom property

The allowance that applies to you depends on the number of bedrooms the government states you need, not the number of bedrooms you have. Generally one bedroom is allowed (to a maximum of four) for:

• every adult couple
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any two children of the same sex under 16
• any two children (regardless of sex) under 10
• any other child
• you or your partner are disabled and need overnight care. You must have an extra bedroom that a carer uses to sleep in overnight.

If we get a benefit claim for more than four bedrooms, we are limited to using the four bedroom rate.

LHA for single tenants and couples without children

Most single tenants aged under 35 and living alone are only entitled to the shared accommodation rate. This rate also applies to single people over 35 and couples with no other occupiers who choose to live in shared accommodation.

The shared accommodation rate is based on market rents for non self-contained accommodation, which means facilities like the living room, kitchen or bathroom are shared.

The rules for single tenants aged under 35, and living alone, do not apply to people:

• in certain supported accommodation
• entitled to the severe disability premium in their housing benefit assessment
• under the age of 25* who were formerly in social services care
• entitled to an extra bedroom to allow for a non-resident carer to sleep over where overnight care is required
• who have spent three months or more in a homeless hostel, or more than one hostel, specialising in rehabilitating and resettling this group within the community

*Age increased from under 22 to under 25, from 31 May 2021 onwards.

How does LHA affect housing benefit?

If your LHA rate is less than the rent you have to pay, your housing benefit will be based on the LHA rate. If the rate is more than the rent you have to pay, your housing benefit will be based on your rent charge.

Your income, savings and other factors are still taken into account.

If your landlord puts your rent up, it will only affect your housing benefit if the old rent was less than the Local Housing Allowance rate you are entitled to.

Properties unaffected by LHA

Local Housing Allowance does not apply to the following private tenancies:

• registered social landlords, such as housing associations
• supported housing provided by a housing association or a registered charity or voluntary organisation
• caravans
• houseboats
• rooms in a hostel where rent for the accommodation includes a substantial amount for board and attendance

Our Safeguard policy

Under Local Housing Allowance rules, we will normally pay Housing Benefit to the tenant. However, because of the risk that some tenants may struggle with the responsibility of budgeting for, and paying their rent, we have developed a Safeguard Policy setting out when we will pay a tenant's Housing Benefit to their Landlord.

LHA Safeguard Policy: Download (292KB - PDF)

Payment to landlord request forms

Please refer to the information given under 'Our Safeguard Policy' heading above.

If you want Housing Benefit to be paid to the landlord, in line with the Safeguard Policy, please use the form below.