Trafford Council
Benefits Section
PO Box 65
Sale
M33 6BY
benefits@trafford.gov.uk
0161 912 2220
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:
Count one bedroom for the following people, living in your property:
If you are unsure please see the Directgov bedroom calculator
Extra rules apply if you fall into one of the categories below:
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).
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.
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
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
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).
Please note that from April 2012 Local Housing Allowance rates will be frozen. The rates will then be set annually (from April 2013) by using the lowest of the following:
You will move onto the frozen Local Housing Allowance rate on your LHA anniversary date or earlier if you:
April 2012 (These rates are valid from 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013)
| Accommodation Type | North Trafford | South Trafford | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | Monthly | Weekly | Monthly | |
| Shared Accommodation | £64.62 | £280.02 | £59.08 | £256.01 |
| 1 bedroom property | £95 | £411.67 | £98.08 | £425.01 |
| 2 bedroom property | £113.08 | £490.01 | £126.92 | £549.99 |
| 3 bedroom property | £126.92 | £549.99 | £137.31 | £595.01 |
| 4 bedroom property | £183.46 | £794.99 | £196.15 | £849.98 |
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:
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.
