Local Housing Allowance if you rent privately

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is used to work out the maximum amount of benefits you can get towards your rent. It applies when:

• you rent from a private landlord or letting agent

• you get Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit

LHA rates are different in each local council area.

Check how many bedrooms you can claim for

Your LHA rate depends on how many bedrooms you're eligible for. This is worked out based on who you live with and their ages.

You can claim 1 bedroom for each single person aged 16 or over. Two people are expected to share a room if they’re:

• a couple

• under 10

• under 16 and the same sex

If someone in your household is disabled and needs regular overnight care, you can have an extra bedroom for a carer to stay in.

You can claim for a maximum of 4 bedrooms.

If you’re under 35 and single

You can usually only get the shared accommodation rate. This is lower than the 1 bedroom rate because it's based on the cost of renting a single room in a shared home.

You could get a higher rate if you’re under 35 and any of these apply to you:

• you live with your partner, children or other household members

• you get the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment or Adult Disability Payment

• you get the middle or high rate of Disability Living Allowance

• you get the Armed Forces Independence payment

• you’re a care leaver and under 25

• you’ve lived in a hostel or refuge with support services for at least 3 months since you were 16

• you’re a former prisoner aged 25-34 and subject to MAPPA conditions

• you're a victim of domestic abuse

• you're a victim of modern slavery

Check how much you could get in your area

Once you know how many bedrooms you can claim for, check your council’s LHA rate on Directgov.

This is the maximum amount you can get. If your rent is lower than this, you'll only get an amount equal to your rent.

If you’re in work, your benefits will be reduced based on your income, so you might not get the full LHA rate. Your partner's income and savings are also counted.

Your benefits could also be reduced if:

• you're affected by the benefit cap, which puts a limit on the total amount of benefits you can get - check the limit on GOV.UK

• you live with other adults who are not joint tenants, called non-dependants - check our guidance on non-dependant deductions

Use the Turn2Us benefits calculator to check how much you're entitled to overall.

If LHA does not cover your full rent

If your rent is higher than your LHA rate, and you cannot afford to pay the difference, apply for Discretionary Housing Payment from the council. They’ll decide if you’re eligible based on your circumstances.

If you cannot get DHP and you’re struggling to pay your rent, a money and debt advisor can help. We also have guidance on what to do if:

• your benefits do not cover your rent

• you're in rent arrears

If your circumstances change

To make sure you’re getting the right rate, report any relevant changes:

• online if you get Universal Credit – sign in to your online account on GOV.UK

• to the council if you get Housing Benefit – find your council's website on GOV.UK