Local Housing Allowance

Local housing allowance changes

Local housing allowance (LHA) rate anniversary/review dates will end on Sunday 31 March. From 1 April all LHA rates will be determined by the valuation service annually every April. By setting LHA rates annually every April the rates will no longer change on a monthly basis.

If you are a private tenant renting a property or a room in Hull from a private landlord and you are on a low income, you may be able to claim and receive Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

LHA is based on the number of bedrooms that a household needs (to a maximum of four), not the number of rooms in your property or the rent you are charged.

Find out how much LHA you could get

Who can claim

You may be entitled to LHA benefit if you are -

• below pension age, on a low income (you may qualify even if you do not receive any other benefits) and have savings and capital less that £16,000
  
  
• of pension age, on a low income and have savings are less that £16,000 or receive pension credits (as your income, savings and capital would have already been worked out by The Pension Service)
  

and you -

• are making a new claim as a private tenant
  
  
• have changed your address to a private rented home
  
  
• are already a private tenant who is receiving housing benefit and have had a break in their claim of at least one benefit week
  

Find out how to apply for local housing allowance

Should you make a claim

You can find out if you should claim by using the benefits calculator below -

More information about calculating your benefit

You do not need to make a claim if you are -

• under pensionable age, and have made a claim at Jobcentre Plus to apply for income support, job seekers allowance or employment and support allowance within the last four weeks as this will have also included a claim for housing and council tax benefit. Jobcentre Plus will send us all the information we need to process your housing and council tax benefit claim.  If you have not yet received a decision, Jobcentre Plus can be contacted free on 0800 055 6688.
  
  
• over pensionable age,  and have made a claim for pension credits from The Pension Service (part of the government’s Department for Work and Pensions) within the last four weeks, you will have been asked if you also wanted to claim for housing and council tax benefit.  The Pension Service will send us all the information we will need to process your housing and council tax benefit claim. If you have not yet had a decision, The Pension Service can be contacted free on 0800 991 234.
  
  Please note - If your claim with Jobcentre Plus or The Pension Service was over four weeks ago, to avoid further delay with your claim, you should apply directly to us.
  
  Find out how to apply for local housing allowance

Changing from the old housing benefit scheme to LHA

Customers who receive housing benefit under the old housing benefit scheme can ask to end their current claim so that they can move onto LHA.  However, there is no obligation for you to do this and payments will continue to be paid as normal.

If you would like to move to LHA, please contact us and ask to speak to a benefits specialist.

Contact us

Freepost RSJC-KKBE-ABXZ
Hull City Council Revenues and Benefits Service
PO Box 15
Hull
HU1 2AB

Tel: 01482 300 300
Text phone: 01482 300 349
Email: benefitssr@hullcc.gov.uk