Local Housing Allowance:
how to work out what you may get

How much Local Housing Allowance you may get depends on:
  • who lives with you
  • which area you want to live in
  • how much money you have coming in
  • what savings you have.
To work out how much you may get:
  • work out how many rooms you are allowed. This is explained below
  • check the Local Housing Allowance rate for the area you want to live in (available from the local council)
  • find out if you can get the full rate of Local Housing Allowance. Any money you have coming in or savings you have may affect this. Ask your council for more details.

How to work out how many rooms you are allowed

The number of people who live with you will be used to work out how many bedrooms and living rooms you are allowed. We do not count other rooms such as a kitchen or bathroom.
The number of rooms you are allowed is used to work out how much Local Housing Allowance you may be able to get.
You can use the following information as a guide to work out how many rooms you are allowed.
Bedrooms
You are allowed one bedroom for:
every adult couple (married or unmarried)
any other adult aged 16 or over
any two children under age 10
any two children of the same sex aged under 16
any other child.
Living rooms
People are entitled to:
one living room if one to three people live in the property
two living rooms if four to six people live in the property
three living rooms if seven or more people live in the property.

What else might affect your Local Housing Allowance?

You may not get the standard rate of Local Housing Allowance if you share some or all of the facilities in a property. Shared facilities could be a living room, kitchen or bathroom. If you share some or all of the facilities you may get the shared Local Housing Allowance rate. This is for tenants who have a bedroom of their own but share all or some of the facilities.
Couples with no dependent children
If you are part of a couple who have no children living with you, you can get the rate for a two-roomed property if you rent a self-contained property i.e a bedroom and a living room.
By a self-contained property we mean one where you have at least one room nobody else uses and a bathroom, toilet and cooking facilities that nobody else uses. For example, this could be a one-bedroom flat.
By couple we mean a man and woman who are married or are living together as if they are married and same sex couples living together as a civil partnership.
If you are part of a couple who have no children living with you and you choose to live in a property where all or some of the facilities are shared, you can only get the shared Local Housing Allowance rate. Shared facilities could be a living room, kitchen or bathroom.
If you are aged 25 or over and live alone
If you are 25 or over and live alone you can get the rate for a two-roomed property if you rent a self-contained property with at least two rooms. For example, this could be a one-bedroom / one lliving room flat.
If you choose to live in a property where all or some of the facilities are shared, you can only get the shared Local Housing Allowance rate. Shared facilities could be a living room, kitchen or bathroom.
Claimants aged under 25 years who live alone
If you are aged under 25 and live alone you can only get the shared Local Housing Allowance rate.
Dependants and non-dependants
If you claim Local Housing Allowance you can only get it for yourself and your dependants. If you share a property we will make a deduction for facilities you share with any non-dependants. The rules for this are the same as the rules for Housing Benefit.
Joint tenants
If you claim Local Housing Allowance you can only get it for yourself and your dependants. If you are a joint tenant we will make a deduction for any non-dependants and sub-tenants. The rules for this are the same as the rules for Housing Benefit. By joint tenant we mean someone who has an agreement with the landlord to share the rent with other tenants.
Ask us if you want more information about this.



Page last updated on: 17/02/2010