Housing Benefit Local Housing Allowance
How we provide this service
Information about local housing allowances is supported by Finance, Benefits and Revenues.
If you make a new claim for Housing Benefit or you already get Housing benefit but change your address, and you rent from a private landlord, Local Housing Allowance will affect you.
Local Housing Allowance is a new way of working out Housing Benefit for tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord. If you live in council accommodation or other social housing, Local Housing Allowance will not affect you. Local Housing Allowance is not based on the property in which you live. It is based on:
- who lives with you
- which area you live in
- how much money you have coming in
- what savings you have.
You can get an idea of how much benefit we can pay and start your claim by using the Benefits Calculator and Claim and by checking the Local Housing Allowance rates. Use the following link to find the rates for the area in which you live and the number of bedrooms you are eligible for:
We will use Local Housing Allowance rates to calculate how much benefit you qualify for. The rate you are entitled to may reduce depending on your income, savings and circumstances. The Local Housing Allowance is the maximum amount that you can receive.
Prospective tenants will be able to shop around with their allowance. If you find a property you like with a rent that exceeds your Local Housing Allowance then you will need to make up the difference. However, if you find somewhere with a rent below your allowance, you will be able to keep the difference up to a maximum £15.00 per week.
Changes From 1st April 2011:
The Government is making changes to the way Housing Benefit is calculated for private rented sector tenants from 1st April 2011. Please use the following links to find out about the changes.
For further information about Local Housing Allowance, please use the easy to understand Guide to Local Housing Allowance (PDF, 405KB).
Also available are the Lincolnshire Landlords Newsletter (PDF, 343KB), Lincolnshire Landlords Newsletter Vol 2 (PDF, 578KB), and the Lincolnshire Landlords Newsletter Vol 3 (PDF, 3799KB), which gives an overview of the scheme from a landlord's perspective.
Address: South Holland District Council, P0 Box 8, Spalding PE11 2XQ
What to do to get this service
Contact Customer Services if you wish to discuss Local Housing Allowance or have any queries about how this may affect you.
Further Information on this service
The Council will still have the discretion to make payments to landlords in certain circumstances but Local Housing Allowance will normally be paid to tenants. There will no longer be the choice of simply requesting direct payments to be made to the landlord.
Payments will be made by BACS (direct transfer to your bank account), which will mean that there are no postal delays to worry about, or waiting for a cheque to clear. The money is available as soon as it arrives in your bank account.
If you don't have a bank account, it is really easy to set one up. There are lots of banks and building societies wanting to help you.
If you require further guidance, Rent and Bank Accounts and Money Advice (PDF, 426KB) is always available.
Who can apply?
Since April 7th 2008 if you make a new claim for Housing Benefit or you already get Housing benefit but change your address, and you rent from a private landlord, Local Housing Allowance will affect you.
How long will I have to wait for a response?
14 Days
How long will the whole process take?
14 Days
Contact Name for this service
Customer Services
Telephone number for this service
01775 761161
Common Questions
To view Frequently asked questions, please click on the link below:
Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 24KB)
Q. How do I search for Local Housing Allowance rates where I live and calculate the number of bedrooms I am eligible for?
A.
Local Housing Allowance Direct
Q. What are the Local Housing Allowance Rates in South Holland?
A.
LHA Rates from September 2011 (PDF, 14KB)
Q. Which area do I fall into under the Local Housing Allowance scheme?
A.
Map of Kings Lynn (PDF, 1193KB)
Map of Peterborough (PDF, 669KB)
Map of Lincolnshire Fens (PDF, 2336KB)
Q. What is our policy on supporting tenants who cannot cope with the responsibility of paying their rent?
A.
LHA Payments Policy (PDF, 23KB)
How do you rate this information / service?
Contact Details
If you have any queries about the information provided above, or require further information, please contact Customer Services on 01775 761161 or email info@sholland.gov.uk.
Housing Benefit New Claim
