What LHA rate am I entitled to?
Your Local Housing Allowance rate is based on the number of
bedrooms you need for your family. The following is used to work
out what size property you need:
How many rooms am I allowed?
You are allowed one bedroom for -
- each adult couple
- any other adult (aged 16 or over)
- any two children under 10, regardless of their sex
- any two children of the same sex aged 10 to 15
- or for any other child
| Household |
Bedrooms |
Total rooms |
LHA |
Family A -
couple with one child |
1 room for a couple
1 room for a child |
2 |
2 room LHA |
Family B
couple with 1 girl aged 8
and 1 boy aged 11 |
1 room for a couple
1 room for a girl younger than 10
1 room for a boy older than 10 |
3 |
3 room LHA |
Family C -
couple with 1 girl aged 6,
1 boy aged 12 and
1 girl aged 16 |
1 room for a couple
1 room for a girl younger than 10
1 room for a boy older than 10
1 room for a girl older than 15 |
4 |
4 room LHA |
Family B is entitled to three bedrooms. If they rent a property
with two bedrooms, their benefit will still be worked out using the
3 room LHA rate.
Different rules apply for foster children, under 35’s and joint
tenants. When determining your LHA rate we will have to decide who
is responsible for any non-dependants living in the household.
If you are under 35
If you:
- are aged under 35
- are single
- live alone
- are not severely disabled
- are not a care leaver aged under 22
your benefit will be based on the LHA shared room rate
regardless of the size of accommodation that you occupy.
If you are a care leaver aged under 22
If you:
- are a care leaver aged under 22
- or live with a care leaver aged under 22 who is your
partner
- and you have no dependent children living with you
your benefit will be based on the one bedroom LHA 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, please contact us.
Once a care leaver reaches the age of 22, the shared room LHA
rate applies.
If you are part of a couple, or are single over 35, with no
dependent children
If you:
- are part of a couple
- or are single aged 35 or over
- and you have no dependent children living with you
your benefit will be based on the one bedroom LHA rate, provided
you actually live in self-contained accommodation or you live in
shared accommodation, but have sole use of two (or more) rooms.
However, if you live in accommodation where you share facilities
with other people, and have sole use of one room only, your benefit
will be based on the shared room LHA rate.
If you are single and severely disabled or part of a couple and
you are severely disabled
If you:
- are single and severely disabled
or
- are severely disabled
- and live with a severely disabled partner
- and have no 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.
The Severe Disability Premium can only be awarded if:
- you are single
- and you receive Attendance Allowance (AA) or
the middle or higher rate Disability Living Allowance (DLA) care
component
- and you live alone
- and no one is entitled to and in receipt of
Carer’s Allowance (CA) for looking after you,
or
- you are a member of a couple and you both receive AA or the
middle or higher rate DLA care component, or
- you are a member of a couple and one partner receives AA or the
middle or higher rate DLA care component
- and the other partner is blind
- and you and your partner live alone
- and no-one is entitled to and in receipt of CA
for looking after either of you
If you have non-dependants
If you have any non-dependants living with you (for example
grown-up children, parents or other relatives or friends) your
benefit may be reduced depending on your and your non-dependant’s
circumstances.
This is because they are expected to contribute towards your
rent.
If you are a joint tenant
If you are a joint tenant (with someone other than your partner)
your benefit will be based on the LHA rate solely applicable to
your family, plus your non-dependants, sub-tenants or boarders.
If you are a joint tenant and have a shared non-dependant, you
will have the non-dependant counted for the size criteria, but only
have a shared non-dependant deduction.
Example 1:
Adrian and Bob are joint tenants, living with
Charlie, Bob’s father
Bob will be entitled to the two-bedroom LHA rate because Charlie
is classed as only his non-dependant and is counted in the number
of bedrooms Bob needs. Bob’s LHA rate is then reduced by the whole
of the non-dependant deduction.
Adrian is classed as a single person living in shared
accommodation and is only entitled to the shared LHA rate but
without a non-dependant deduction.
Example 2:
John and Alex are brothers and jointly rent a
property. Their father, Peter, also lives with
them.
John and Alex will both be entitled to the two-bedroom LHA rate.
This is because their father, Peter, is counted in each of the size
criteria calculations. However the non-dependant deduction is
shared between them as the non-dependant is shared.
Contact
Tel: 01304 872199
E-mail: revenues@dover.gov.uk
