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Local Housing Allowance (LHA)

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a way of calculating and paying Housing Benefit for people who rent from a private landlord. It uses a flat rate allowance based on the size of the tenant’s household and the area in which the property is rented to decide the maximum amount of Housing Benefit they will receive. Local Housing Allowance does not take account of how much rent you pay. The rate of LHA that tenants receive will be looked at each year.

Other circumstances, such as the money that the tenant has coming in or other people living in the household, will still affect the amount of benefit paid, so the tenant may not always receive the full rate of LHA.

How do I find out more?

If you have any questions about Local Housing Allowance you can contact us. You can also find more detailed information about Local Housing Allowance on the GOV.UK website in the external links section.

Local Housing Allowance Rates

The following table shows the LHA rates for Carlisle City Council. The Rent Service will provide the Council with the LHA rates on an annual basis.  The rates are effective from the first day of the financial year.

Local Housing Rates

The rates below are effective from 1st April 2020.

Size criteria Weekly LHA Rates Monthly LHA Rates
1 Bed in a shared house £68.00 £295.48
1 Bed self-contained (bedsit or flat) £80.55 £350.01
2 bedrooms £97.81 £425.01
3 bedrooms £120.82 £524.99
4 bedrooms £155.34 £674.99

Local Housing- FAQ

How will Local Housing Allowance be paid?

How will Local Housing Allowance be paid?

In most cases we will pay Local Housing Allowance directly to you. You cannot choose to have your Local Housing Allowance paid directly to your landlord. If your landlord agrees to reduce the rent to the Local Housing Allowance rate, we may pay your rent direct to him by BACS.

In some exceptional cases we may decide to pay your Local Housing Allowance directly to your landlord. We have to consider your individual circumstances and be satisfied that you are unable to manage your finances. Our safeguard policy sets out the rules for when we may pay your Local Housing Allowance directly to your landlord.
Online Calculator

Select the circumstances which best describe you (and your family, if any) from the list box below and hit the Calculate button.

None of the options above are relevant for me!

First ensure that None of these circumstances" is selected in the list box, and use the boxes below to describe the number of people in your slightly more complex household - no more than 9 members allowed in each category.

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