Local Housing Allowance is a way of working out Housing Benefit for people on low incomes who rent from private landlords. LHA is based on the number of rooms people are allowed, not how much the rent is. The number of rooms allowed depends on who lives with you.

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 under 16
• Any other child

If you are unsure please see the Directgov bedroom calculator

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 (under 35 from January 2012)

If you are a single customer under 25 years (under 35 from January 2012) 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 (over 35 from January 2012) or a couple with no children

If you are a single customer over 25 years (over 35 from January 2012) 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

If you or your partner have a disability (and you do not have any dependent children) your benefit will be based on the one bedroom LHA rate regardless of the size of accommodation that you occupy. By severely disabled we mean that you have the Severe Disability Premium included in your benefit assessment.

If you or your partner have a disability (with a long term health condition) and need overnight care from ay a non-resident carer you may be allowed an additional bedroom within your Local Housing Allowance size criteria.

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

2. Check the Local Housing Allowance rates for the area you want to live in

In Trafford the Local Housing Allowance rates are divided into two areas (north and south). You need to check which area your property falls into (below).

North Trafford

• Urmston
• Davyhulme
• Firswood
• Flixton
• Old Trafford
• Stretford

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:

January 2012 (These rates are valid from 1 to 31 January 2012)

February 2012 (These rates are valid from 1 to 29 February 2012)

To find out the latest Local Housing Allowance Rates for all areas visit Directgov

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

Fill in an online benefits calculation to find out how your income affects your rate of Local Housing Allowance.

You are only entitled to claim benefit to cover your level of rent.

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.

You may want to negotiate the level of rent with your landlord, prior to taking on the property. As an incentive, we can arrange to pay your benefit directly to your landlord, if they agree to reduce the level of rent. To apply please fill in a direct payments (affordable rent) form.