Local Housing Allowance

What is Local Housing Allowance (LHA)?

Local Housing Allowance is a new rent assessment scheme for tenants who rent accommodation from private landlords.

LHA is based on rent levels for the area you live in and how many people you live with. Your entitlement to Housing Benefit will still depend on your income, how many people make up your household and any savings you have.

Who will be affected by LHA?

LHA will apply to you if you fall into the following categories.

  • You make a new claim for Housing Benefit (including if you have stopped claiming it and reclaim) on or after 7 April 2008 for accommodation you rent from a private landlord.

  • You are already claiming Housing Benefit and you change address on or after 7 April 2008 and move into a property you rent from a private landlord.

Who will not be affected by LHA?

LHA will not apply to you if you have one of the following tenancies.

  • A tenancy with the Housing Executive.

  • A tenancy with a Housing Association.

  • A tenancy where you get support from health and social services, a Housing Association, a charity or a voluntary organisation.

  • A tenancy which is not included in the current rent restrictions (these are tenancies which started before April 1996).

  • A tenancy in a caravan, mobile home, houseboat or hostel.

  • A tenancy where your rent is restricted under the Private Tenancies Order (2006) or the 1978 Rent Order.

How will LHA work?

We have divided Northern Ireland into eight ‘broad rental market areas’ (BRMAs) as shown on the map.

Map showing the eight Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs) in Northern Ireland  

A broad rental market area will cover a number of neighbourhoods. In this broad area there will be different types of properties and other places to live within a reasonable travelling distance of similar public services.

We will set LHA rates for different property sizes within each broad rental market area. Each rate of LHA is the middle of the range of rents for all types of properties with the same number of rooms in a broad rental market area.

How much LHA will I get?

We will publish LHA rates on this website. This will allow you to find out the maximum amount of rent that we will use to work out Housing Benefit. If you are looking for accommodation in Northern Ireland, you will be able to see the LHA rate that will apply to you before you decide to rent a property.

The rate of LHA we will use to work out your Housing Benefit will depend on:

  • the area you live in – this will set the BRMA you fall under; and

  • who lives with you – this will decide how many bedrooms you need.

You will be entitled to one bedroom for:

  • every adult couple;

  • every other adult (an adult is someone aged 16 or over);

  • any two children aged under 10;

  • any two children of the same sex aged 10 to 15; and

  • any other child.

We will not count other rooms, such as living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms.

If you are under 25 and live alone (not including people leaving care who are under 22 years old)

If you are single and aged under 25 you will be entitled to the standard rate for a room in shared accommodation. We will base this rate on a property where you have a room of your own but you share all or some of the facilities (for example, a living room, kitchen or bathroom).

This is known as the shared-room rate.

If you are over 25 and single, or a couple and have no children, or you are a joint tenant

We will usually base your rate of LHA on the number of bedrooms you need and not the size of the property you live in. However, this will not apply if you only have one room of your own and share the living room, kitchen and bathroom with other people. In this situation we will work out your Housing Benefit using the shared-room rate.

Amount of LHA

If your rent is lower than your rate of LHA, you may receive up to £15 of the difference a week. If you decide to move into a property with a rent that is higher than your rate of LHA, you will need to pay the difference.

How often will the Housing Executive review my rate of LHA?

Your rate of LHA will apply for one year unless your circumstances change, for example, if people join or leave your household. In certain cases your LHA may be protected.

How will my LHA be paid?

The LHA scheme in Northern Ireland is different from the scheme that is being introduced in England, Scotland and Wales. The method of paying LHA will not change in Northern Ireland. You will still be able to choose if you want to receive your Housing Benefit or if you want us to pay it direct to your landlord.