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Local Housing Allowance - information for landlords
Housing Benefit for your tenants has changed. From April 2008 the Government introduced Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a new way of working out Housing Benefit for some tenants on a low-income renting from a Private Landlord.It is based on:
- The area the property is in
- Who lives with your tenant
- What money your tenant has coming in
- What savings your tenant has
-
They rent your property from you and your tenant makes a new claim for Housing Benefit with a date of claim on or after 7 April 2008
OR -
You have an existing tenant that rents your property where they are already claiming Housing Benefit and they have a break in their Housing Benefit entitlement of at least a week on or after 7 April 2008.
OR -
Your tenant changes their address so that they begin renting your property or move into another one of your properties (this includes a change of room) and they make a new claim for Housing Benefit with a date of claim on or after 7 April 2008
OR - Your tenant has an in work claim following an extended benefit payment (see internal link) on or after 7 April 2008
Why is the number of rooms in my property important?
LHA is based on the number of bedrooms your tenant needs, not on how much rent you charge. The number of bedrooms your tenant needs will be based on the number of people they have living with them.
Why is the area my property is in important?
An independent Rent Officer will decide what the LHA is for the Portsmouth area. It will be based on the rents that most people pay in Portsmouth.What else will be taken into account?
The amount of weekly LHA that your tenant receives will also depend on their level of income and savings. If they receive income support, jobseekers allowance (income based) or guarantee credit for pensioners their benefit will be based on the maximum LHA. We may make a deduction from their benefit for any other adults they have living with them.Further information is available
- Quarterly Landlord Forum meetings are held where LHA is discussed. Please phone 023 9284 1042 to request details of the next Landlord Forum meeting.
- The attached Landlord Information Leaflet
- You can view more information by visiting the DWP website, please see the external links list on this page.
Associated documents:
LHA Safeguard policy - January 2008 (0.06 MB)
Landlord information leaflet number 1- March 2007 (0.15 MB)
Landlord information leaflet number 2 - November 2007 (0.10 MB)
Local Housing Allowance - an introduction to tenants (0.04 MB)
Local Housing Allowance - if you are aged under 25 (0.04 MB)