The amount of weekly LHA that you get will depend on the level of your income and savings.
If you receive income support or jobseekers allowance (income based) your benefit will be based on maximum LHA.
We may make a deduction from your benefit for any other grown up people you have living with you.
Working out your new LHA
Housing Benefit awards for tenants of private sector landlords will be based on LHA. The LHA will be the maximum figure eligible for an award and is based on:
- The area live in
- The number of bedrooms a claimant and their family needs
- Income and savings
There are three steps to follow to work out your maximum LHA.
Firstly, what area do you live in? Look at the map, locate the area the property is in and this will tell you what rental market area you live in. We have 5 areas in Daventry. For more details about this click on this link Daventry-locality map
Secondly, how many bedrooms do you need?
One bedroom for
· A couple
· Any other adult (aged 16 or over)
· Any two children of the same sex to 15 years
· Any two children under 10
· Any other child
The number of living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms is ignored
Thirdly, look up your rental market area current rates and find out the appropriate LHA rate for the number of bedrooms you require. The rates will be updated each month and will be published every month. Click on this link for the current rates Current LHA Rates
Examples of how many bedrooms am I entitled to?
Pat and Peter
Pat and Peter 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.
What else might affect the Local Housing Allowance rate?
There are extra rules if you are:
q Single under 25’s
· Shared room rate of LHA if they are renting a room in shared accommodation
q Single over 25, care leavers under 22 and childless couples (an age)
· One room rate of LHA if they rent a property of this size or any self contained accommodation
· Shared room rate of LHA if they rent shared accommodation
Joint tenants
If you are a joint tenant this may affect the benefit you can get.
Non-dependants
If you claim benefit you can only get it for yourself and your family. If you share a property with someone who is not part of your family, your benefit may be reduced. This is because we may expect them to pay towards your rent.
What if my rent is not the same as the Local Housing Allowance rate that applies to me?
If your rent is up to £15 lower than the Local Housing Allowance rate that applies to you, any benefit you might get will still be based on this rate. For example, if your rent is £90 and the Local Housing Allowance is £100, the maximum amount of benefit we could pay you would be £100.
If your rent is more than £15 less than the Local Housing Allowance rate that applies to you, any benefit you might get will be based on the amount of your rent plus £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.
The following examples show how this works. These examples are for tenants who are entitled to the maximum amount of benefit.
Fred’s Local Housing Allowance rate is £65 a week. His rent is £60 a week. Fred gets benefit of £65 a week and can keep £5 a week to spend on other things.
Helen’s Local Housing Allowance rate is £80 a week. Her rent is £90 a week. Helen gets benefit of £80 a week and has to pay the extra £10 a week from other money she has coming in.
Tony’s Local Housing Allowance rate is £100 a week. His rent is £80 a week. Tony gets benefit of £95 a week and can keep £15 a week to spend on other things
Further information
Remember this is a guide only if you want more information:
· phone your Housing Benefit department on 01327 302307
· visit your Housing Benefit department at
Daventry District Council
Lodge Road
Daventry
NN11 4FP
· email us at benefits@daventrydc.gov.uk
· visit www.direct.gov.uk
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