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Who can get Local Housing Allowance and what the current rates are.
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the name for Housing Benefit for most tenants of private landlords who claim Housing Benefit after April 2008.
You can’t get LHA if:
There is no separate claim form for Local Housing Allowance - you apply for it using Housing Benefit claim form.
LHA is based on a given fixed rate for your area, not on how much your rent is. There are different rates depending on if you or your household lives in shared, 1, 2, 3, or 4 bedroom accommodation.
If your rent is lower than the LHA rate for your area, we use the lower figure and the number of bedrooms to calculate how much you get.
If your rent is higher than the LHA rate, we can only use the LHA rate to calculate how much you get.
The actual amount of benefit you receive depends on your income, capital (such as savings) and who lives with you.
Find out how many bedrooms you’re entitled to under LHA and find out what your LHA rate is at GOV.UK'S LHA guidance webpage.
The Shared Accommodation Rate is the maximum amount we can pay if you:
You’ll get this rate even if you live in a self-contained property such as a one-bedroom flat.
This rule won’t apply if:
Local Housing Allowance rates are set independently by the Valuation Office Agency.
Weekly LHA rates for Waltham Forest from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
Number of bedrooms |
Outer North East London |
Outer East London |
---|---|---|
Shared accommodation rate |
£101.61 |
£113.11 |
1 bedroom self-contained |
£207.12 |
£241.64 |
2 bedrooms |
£264.66 |
£299.18 |
3 bedrooms |
£316.44 |
£356.71 |
4 or more bedrooms |
£398.14 |
£414.25 |
LHA is usually paid straight into your bank account.
We may be able to pay your LHA direct to your landlord if:
Our safeguard policy (Word doc) outlines how it will be paid to vulnerable candidates.
You can choose to have your benefit paid into your bank account or direct to your landlord if:
When rent is in arrears for 8 weeks or more we’ll pay Housing Benefit directly to the landlord.
Landlords are encouraged to contact the Benefit Service when rent has been in arrears for five weeks to give us time to gather information before the tenant is in arrears for 8 weeks.
If you want to tell the Benefits Service that your tenant is in arrears with their rent, please complete the Landlord Rent Arrears form (Word doc) and return it to us with supporting evidence. For more information, please visit Housing Benefit advice for landlords.
PO Box 856
London
E17 9PN