Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a new type of housing benefit
which was introduced nationally in April 2008.
LHA is for people renting from private landlords
only. If you are a tenant living in a property owned by a
Housing Association or other Registered Social Landlord
you will not be affected by LHA.
Who will be entitled to LHA?
Our benefits service will pay LHA to people who have a low
income or get welfare benefits and who rent from a private
landlord if they:
- Make a new claim for help with paying rent.
- Already get Housing Benefit but move to a new address.
- Have a break of 1 week or more in current Housing
Benefit.
What is the difference between Housing Benefit and LHA?
The existing Housing Benefit scheme is based on the
rent for a property. The Rent Service work out a ‘fair’ or ‘market’
rent for the property and often the Housing Benefit is paid direct
to the landlord. LHA is a set amount of money worked out by:
- The number of people in your family living in the rented
property.
- The area where you live.
How do I find out the LHA amounts for the Suffolk Coastal
area?
LHA amounts for the Suffolk Coastal
area can be found on the
LHA-Direct website (new window).
The LHA-Direct website has three ways to help you get the
information you need:
- Bedroom calculator - to help you work out how
many bedrooms you may be eligible for.
- Local authority search - lets you search for
LHA rates by local authority area.
- Postcode search - lets you search for
LHA rates by location of the property you are interested
in.
You will be able to find out the amounts you can get before you
look for somewhere to live but please remember the allowance may
not be the amount of the award you will receive. It is the maximum
figure we will use to work out your award.
How much LHA will I get?
Your LHA award amount depends on your personal information and
is worked out from the details of:
- Who lives with you and their circumstances.
- What money you have coming in.
- What savings you have.
You may get more if you are disabled or a pensioner.
What happens if my LHA award is higher than my rent?
You keep the difference between the actual rent and your LHA
award - up to a maximum of £15 per week. You may wish to save this
money for the future.
What happens if my LHA award is lower than my rent?
You will have to pay the difference to your
landlord from your own income. If you find that you are having
difficulty in paying this difference, you can apply for a
discretionary housing payment.
How will LHA be paid?
It will be paid every 4 weeks direct to your bank account. If
you do not have an account please ask us for help or information
about opening one.
Should you have financial or personal difficulties paying your
rent we can consider paying the LHA direct to your landlord. You
would need to tell us details of the problem. We may be able
to help by agreeing to such an arrangement on either a temporary or
permanent basis.
Help and advice
For help or advice or if you need a home visit
because of age, disability or other circumstances please call us on
01394 444838 or email
benefits@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
You can also get help and information by visiting
our offices in Woodbridge and Felixstowe.
For free independent help and advice on Housing and Council
Tax Benefit contact your local Citizen's Advice Bureau.
Back to the main Housing Benefit
page