We are a business that aids in providing the most valuable property services in London. At the same time, we want to ensure our clients are well-informed about vital subjects. Our specialities include lettings, guaranteed rent, management, and more. In addition, you can find out things about local housing allowance in Harrow. Keep reading to discover what it means for tenants and landlords.

Information on LHA

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) arrived in 2008. It’s a way of figuring out the Housing Benefit Entitlement for those that live in the private sector. This is applicable in Scotland, England, and Wales.

The shift to LHA is something that needs talking about. Before the move, housing entitlement was in line with the 50th percentile or median value of an area’s private rental accommodation. Following the change, it became based on the 30th percentile. The result was a fairer one.

The best thing to say about this allowance is that people can claim an appropriate amount for the specific location. It’ll reflect the price others pay to rent there privately. In other words, entitlement represents similar buildings with the same amount of bedrooms.

Local Housing Allowance in Harrow

The Council has important information regarding LHA. To get you started, we’re going to discuss some of these details here.

For one thing, the rate for your household is the total amount of Housing Benefit you’ll gain. The council will determine what LHA is applicable to you. They will look at three areas. Firstly, there’s the number of people in your household. Next comes the ages of the household’s inhabitants. Lastly, we have the size of the property.

The LHA rules will not apply to certain people as well. Those they won’t apply to include local authority tenants, tenancies for hostels, houseboats, or caravans, and tenants with a registered or ‘fair’ rent.

They also won’t apply to tenants with registered social landlords, and tenancies that began before January 1989. It is the same for protected cases like supported housing offered by particular local authorities, voluntary organisations, charities, and social landlords.

The last place where the rules don’t apply is when rent officers determine that a massive part of the rent is for board and attendance like hotel accommodation. If you have any concerns about whether you can get local housing allowance in Harrow, it is best to ask the council.

How the council determines LHA rates

As for how the council works out the LHA rate, they allow one bedroom for a single adult and every adult couple. It’s the same for any other person aged 16 or over and two children of the same sex under 16. Then there’s two children regardless of sex under 10 and any other child.

LHA gets capped at the four bedroom rate. This rule is in place no matter what your household size is. You’ll only receive the max rate, even if you need or have more bedrooms.

Separate rules exist for single people under the age of 35. Here you will only receive a shared accommodation LHA rate. There are exceptions though, such as:

• One is if you are under 22 years old and have been in care.
• Another is if you’re an over-night carer.
• Exceptions also apply to people aged between 25 and 35 who’ve been in a homeless hostel (for three months minimum) that offers support.
• Individuals aged between 25 and 35 and are ex-offenders subject to a Muti-Agency Public Protection Arrangement (MAPPA) get the same.
• The last exception is if you’re gaining the care component of Disability Living Allowance at the higher or middle rate, or the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment.

Need any more advice?

Finefair Ltd understands that different rules and laws can be confusing for tenants, investors, and landlords alike. There are plenty of details available for you to use. The gov.uk and council websites can tell you a lot. You can find information on local housing allowance in Harrow and more.

We’re also available to talk to if you need us as well. Simply give us a call.