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Contact the Money Matters team using the online enquiry form.
Quick links
- Who does Local Housing Allowance (LHA) apply to?,
- Who cannot get Local Housing Allowance?,
- How much Local Housing Allowance can I get?,
- What if I am a single tenant living in a bedsit or studio accommodation?,
- Are LHA rates the same no matter where I live in the Babergh area?,
- Local Housing Allowance Rates - current month,
- What's different about Local Housing Allowance?,
- When can I claim Local Housing Allowance?,
- What happens if I already receive Housing Benefit?,
- How will Local Housing Allowance be paid?,
- Further Information.
Who does Local Housing Allowance (LHA) apply to?
LHA is for people on a low income living in private rented accommodation.
Changes introduced from January 2012
The Government has extended the existing "Single Room Rent" (SRR) restriction to cover all single people up to the age of 35, the previous limit was 25.
This means that any single claimant, with no partner or care of a child, aged up to 35, will have their LHA set at the "1 Room" rate and not the "1 Bedroom" rate.
There are exemptions to this restriction:-
- Anyone with a partner;
- Anyone with care of a Child (e.g. receiving Child Benefit);
- Any ex-offender subject to the MAPPA Scheme;
- Anyone who has spent at least three months in a hostel provided to prevent homelessness;
- Anyone receiving middle or high rate DLA Care, with no one getting Carers Allowance for looking after them.
Please ask us for details if you think you may be exempt from this new restriction.
Who cannot get Local Housing Allowance?
You cannot get LHA if:
- You are a council or housing association tenant
- You have a tenancy that started before 1989, or
- You live in a caravan, mobile home or house boat
- You live in a hostel
But you may still be able to get Housing Benefit to help with your rent.
If you are in board and lodging or charity-supported accommodation you may also not get LHA.
How much Local Housing Allowance can I get?
The LHA you qualify for depends on the number of people that live in your household. The following size criteria are used to determine the appropriate number of bedrooms (up to a maximum of four bedrooms) your household needs.
One bedroom each for:
- Every adult couple (same or opposite sex)
- Any other adult ( a person aged 16 or over)
- Any two children regardless of sex who are under 10
- Any two children of the same sex aged under 16
- Or any other child
You can use the web local housing allowance bedroom calculator to work which LHA rate you qualify for.
What if I am a single tenant living in a bedsit or studio accommodation?
There is a category of LHA for shared accommodation, which applies where the tenant does not have exclusive use of more than one room and shares any or all of a kitchen, a room suitable for living in, or a bathroom or a toilet.
If you are a single claimant aged under 25 and living alone with no non-dependants you will be entitled to the LHA rate for a room in shared accommodation. This rule will apply to all claimants under the age of 35 from January 2012.
Changes introduced from January 2012
The Government has extended the existing "Single Room Rent" (SRR) restriction to cover all single people up to the age of 35, the previous limit was 25.
This means that any single claimant, with no partner or care of a child, aged up to 35, will have their LHA set at the "1 Room" rate and not the "1 Bedroom" rate.
There are exemptions to this restriction:-
- Anyone with a partner;
- Anyone with care of a Child (e.g. receiving Child Benefit);
- Any ex-offender subject to the MAPPA Scheme;
- Anyone who has spent at least three months in a hostel provided to prevent homelessness;
- Anyone receiving middle or high rate DLA Care, with no one getting Carers Allowance for looking after them.
Please ask us for details if you think you may be exempt from this new restriction.
If you are severely disabled and aged under 25 or a care leaver aged under 22 years you will be entitled to the LHA rate for a one bedroomed, self contained property, provided you rent a property of at least that size. However, if you choose to live in a property where at least some facilities are shared, you will only be entitled to the shared accommodation LHA rate.
Are the LHA rates the same no matter where I live in the Babergh area?
NO. The Rent Officer Service is required to set LHA rates for "Broad Market Rental Areas” and there are 3 area's within Babergh.
Please see the table below to check which area your property will fall into.
Parishes Within Broad Market Rental Areas
These are the maximum amounts for each category. The actual amount you will be entitled to will depend on your income and savings. However, if the amount of your rent payable is less than the Local Housing Allowance rate, benefit will be calculated on the lesser amount.
Bury St Edmunds
Local Housing Allowance rates
| Type of Accommodation |
Allowance |
A - Shared
Accommodation |
£69.27 |
| B - 1 Bedroom |
£98.08 |
| C - 2 Bedrooms |
£121.15 |
| D - 3 Bedrooms |
£144.23 |
| E - 4 Bedrooms |
£207.69 |
Ipswich
Local Housing Allowance rates
| Type of Accommodation |
Allowance |
A - Shared
Accommodation |
£55.38 |
| B - 1 Bedrooms |
£89.93 |
| C - 2 Bedrooms |
£109.62 |
| D - 3 Bedrooms |
£126.92 |
| E - 4 Bedrooms |
£173.08 |
Colchester
Local Housing Allowance rates
| Type of Accommodation |
Allowance |
A - Shared
Accommodation |
£63.50 |
| B - 1 Bedrooms |
£99.23 |
| C - 2 Bedrooms |
£126.92 |
| D - 3 Bedrooms |
£160.38 |
| E - 4 Bedrooms |
£201.92 |
What's different about Local Housing Allowance?
LHA will usually be paid to you and it will be your responsibility to pay your rent to the landlord. Knowing the amount of LHA will let you work out what you can afford. So when you are looking for somewhere to live you can work out how much money you will have. You can then choose a place that suits you.
When can I claim Local Housing Allowance?
All private tenant claims made on or after 7th April 2008, will be treated as a claim for Local Housing Allowance.
What happens if I already receive Housing Benefit?
If you already get Housing Benefit your claim will be transferred to LHA if you:-
- Change address and move into another private tenancy after the 7 April 2008
- Have a break in entitlement of one week or more after 7 April 2008
How will Local Housing Allowance be paid?
In most cases LHA will be paid directly to you. We will pay it into your bank or building society account.
You will then be able to arrange for your bank or building society to pay your rent direct to your landlord.
You cannot choose to have your LHA paid direct to your landlord.
In some exceptional cases we may be able to pay your LHA directly to your landlord.
The councils' downloadable Safeguard Policy & Procedures (PDF, 236Kb) developed along with all the other Suffolk Authorities, tells you how we make decisions on whether benefit should be paid direct to your landlord. If you wish to apply for your Landlord to be paid direct, please use this downloadable landlord direct payment form (PDF, 65Kb), complete and sign, and send it in to us.
You can get further information on Local Housing Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions' Local Housing Allowance web page.
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