Local Housing Allowance

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is the way of working out housing benefit for people who live in privately rented accommodation.

LHA is a flat rate allowance based on the size of the household and the area in which a person lives. It is not based on the size of the property.

Each local authority is divided into Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMA). We have 3 BRMAs. The rent service sets individual LHA rates for up to 4 rooms in each of the BRMAs.

If a customer finds a property that they like with a rent that is higher than their LHA, they will need to make up the difference themselves. 

If a customer finds somewhere with a rent below their LHA, we will only pay LHA up to the amount of rent they have to pay.

Payments

Payments are normally paid to the customer rather than the landlord. 

Safeguards are put in place to protect the vulnerable.

We will consider whether:

• the customer has difficulty managing their affairs
• it is improbable that the customer would pay their rent

If a customer and their representative feel they are vulnerable, benefit may be paid to the landlord. To arrange this, fill in application form below and provide supporting evidence.

Benefit can still be paid to the landlord if a tenant falls into arrears of 8 weeks or more. Written proof of arrears will be required. Landlords should make sure they keep detailed records of the rent account.

In certain circumstances, we may be able to make payments directly to a landlord. We might do this if we think it will help the customer secure a new tenancy or retain an existing tenancy. 

For a tenancy to be secured or retained, the rent should be affordable to the tenant while they get housing benefit, that is, at the new level of the LHA rate that applies to the tenant.

Send your completed form to benefits@bracknell-forest.gov.uk. 

Rates

You can find out the rate of LHA on GOV.UK.

Search for Local Housing Allowance rates

The actual amount of LHA will depend on the:

• number of people who occupy your household
• BMRA that you live in
• amount of income, capital and non-dependants you have

One bedroom is allowed for:

• every adult couple or single adult
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any 2 children of the same sex under 16
• any 2 children who are younger than 10
• any other child - a 'child' is someone under 16

The shared room rate applies where the claimant one of the following:

• single, less than 35 years old and not receiving the severe disability premium 
• a member of a couple with no dependant children and not renting  accommodation with at least 1 bedroom with exclusive use of a bathroom, toilet and kitchen
• has exclusive use of 2 or more rooms and not receiving the severe disability premium

Appeals

There is no right of appeal or redetermination about the levels of local housing allowance or BMRA.

There are still appeal rights against to who payments are made.