Breadcrumb Trail
LHA Rates
What is local Housing Allowance?
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a new way of working out Housing Benefit for tenants who rent their property from a private landlord. Local Housing Allowance is being introduced on 7 April, 2008 and will affect anyone that makes a new claim for benefit or changes their address. If you live in social housing such as a Trafford Housing Trust property, LHA will not affect you.
How much local Housing Allowance am I entitled to?
To work out how much benefit you might get you need to follow the three steps below:
1. Work out how many bedrooms you are entitled to:
Count one bedroom for the following people, living in your property:
- Every adult couple (married or unmarried) and;
- Any other adult aged 16 or over
- Any two children under the age of 10
- Any two children of the same sex aged up to 15
- Any other child
Extra rules apply if you fall into one of the categories below:
Working out your Local Housing Allowance if you are a single customer under 25
If you are a single customer under 25 years you will be entitled to the standard rate for a room in shared accommodation (This is for a room in a property with shared facilities such as a kitchen and bathroom)
Working our your local housing allowance if you are a single customer over 25 or a couple with no children
If you are a single customer over 25 years or a couple with no children you will receive either the shared accommodation rate or the one bedroom rate depending on the type of property you rent.
Working out your Local Housing Allowance if you are severely disabled
To work out how much benefit you might get you need to find out what Local Housing Allowance rate your benefit will be based on.
If you are severely disabled, or live with a severely disabled partner, and have no dependent children, your benefit will be based on the one bedroom Local Housing Allowance rate.
For more information, please phone us on 0161 912 2220 or send an email to benefits@trafford.gov.uk
Working out your Local Housing Allowance if you are a care leaver under 22
To work out how much benefit you might get you need to find out what Local Housing Allowance rate your benefit will be based on.
If you are a care leaver under 22, or live with a care leaver under 22 who is your partner, and have no dependent children your benefit will be based on the one bedroom Local Housing Allowance rate.
By care leaver we mean someone who was in council care after the age of 15. For more information about what we mean by care leavers, phone us on 0161 912 2220 or email benefits@trafford.gov.uk
Some examples:
Reena and Suki
Reena and Suki are a couple who have a child, Ben, who is nine years old.
They are entitled to one bedroom for themselves and one for Ben. This means any benefit they are entitled to will be based on the Local Housing Allowance rate for two bedrooms.
Susan
Susan is a single mother who has three children, Tom, who is fourteen, Judy, who is eleven and Raymond, who is six.
Susan is entitled to one bedroom for herself, one bedroom for Judy and one bedroom for Tom and Raymond to share. This means any benefit they are entitled to will be based on the Local Housing Allowance rate for three bedrooms.
Lisa and Matt
Lisa and Matt are a couple who have five children, Shaun, who is seventeen, Graham, who is fifteen, Laura, who is twelve, Millie, who is nine and Jessica, who is six.
They are entitled to one bedroom for themselves, one bedroom for Shaun, one bedroom for Laura and Millie to share, one bedroom for Graham and one bedroom for Jessica. This means any benefit they are entitled to will be based on the Local Housing Allowance rate for five bedrooms.
2. Check the Local Housing Allowance rates for the area you want to live in
In Trafford there are two different rates of Local Housing Allowance depending on whether you live in the north or south of the area.
North Trafford
- Urmston
- Davyhulme
- Firswood
- Flixton
- Old Trafford
- Stretford
- Urmston
South Trafford
- Altrincham
- Bowdon
- Brooklands
- Carrington
- Dunham Massey
- Hale
- Partington
- Sale
- Timperley
3. Look at the table below to see what rate of LHA you qualify for:
| Acommodation Type | North Trafford | South Trafford | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Monthly | Weekly | Monthly | |
|
Shared Accommodation |
£64.00 |
£277.33 |
£60.00 |
£260.00 |
|
1 bedroom property |
£98.08 |
£425.01 |
£103.85 |
£450.02 |
|
2 bedroom property |
£114.23 |
£495.00 |
£126.92 |
£549.99 |
|
3 bedroom property |
£132.69 |
£574.99 |
£150.00 |
£650.00 |
|
4 bedroom property |
£183.46 |
£794.99 |
£206.54 |
£895.01 |
|
5 bedroom property |
£219.23 |
£950.00 |
£253.85 |
£1100.02 |
These rates are valid from 01.12.08 to 31.12.08
Remember that the amount of benefit you are entitled to depends on the following:
- any money you have coming in
- any savings you have
- how much your rent is
- Other people living in your property
- if you share paying the rent with someone else who is not your partner
What if my rent is lower than the LHA rate I am entitled to?
If your rent is lower than the LHA rate you are entitled to you may keep the difference up to a maximum of £15. For example, if your rent is £60 and the Local Housing Allowance is £100 the maximum amount of benefit we could pay you would be £75.
What if my rent is higher than the LHA rate I am entitled to?
If your rent is higher than the LHA rate you are entitled to you will need to pay the difference or find a cheaper property to rent. For example, if your rent is £100 and the LHA is £90 you will need to pay the extra £10 to your landlord.
Who to Contact
Trafford Council
Benefits Section
PO Box 65
Sale
M33 6BY
Email: benefits@trafford.gov.uk
Telephone: 0161 912 2220
Fax: 0161 912 2369
Textphone: 0161 912 2102
You can also visit us at our Customer Contact Centres
This page was last updated on 5 December 2008
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