Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates
There are changes to Local Housing allowance from April 2011 that may affect you.
To find out more see changes to Local Housing Allowance
If you are renting from a private landlord and after 7 April 2008 and;
- have made a new claim for benefit or
- changed address or
- reclaimed benefit after a gap of a week.
The LHA that is used to work out your benefit will depend on how many people are in your household and the area you live in. The LHA rate used generally remains the same for a year so if your claim starts in May 2010 we will use the May 2010 LHA rate until May 2011. In May 2011 we will then reassess your claim based upon the May 2011 rates but please see the changes to Local Housing Allowance above
The number of rooms allowed
One bedroom for each of the following, counting each person once only, in the first group they come into;
- a married couple or civil partnership or an unmarried couple who live together as husband and wife or as though in a civil partnership
- someone who is 16 or over
- two children of the same sex under 16
- two children of the same sex or opposite sex who are younger than 10
- a child (a ‘child’ is someone under 16).
Special rules
Single people under 35 who make new claim or change address after January 2012 will receive the shared room rate. There are exceptions to this rule so to find out more and find out if you were receiving Housing Benefit before January 2012 when you will be affected by the changes please see Housing Benefit changes under 35
- Care leavers under 22 years old will receive the one bedroom rate
- Joint tenants: each joint tenant’s household is considered separately. Joint tenants entitled to only one bedroom will receive the shared room rate.
Five or more bedrooms
The maximum LHA rate we can pay is the 4 bedroom rate. but some people who were claiming before 1.4.2011 may not be affected by the change immediately To find out more see changes to Local Housing Allowance
Your local housing allowance rates updated monthly (up to 29 February 2012)
There are three Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs) in Barnet, each BRMA has a name and an ID number. You can find out which BRMA the property is in from the LHA Direct website (external link). You will also be able to see the LHA rates since April 2008.
From 1 November 2009 the Inner North and West London BRMA has been replaced by a new BRMA Inner North London. The postcodes are the same except for a very few near Staples Corner. For further information you can use the LHA Direct website link above.
150 - Outer North London
mainly east of M1 and north of the A406 North Circular Road
High Barnet, Friern Barnet, Mill Hill, Hendon, Finchley and parts of East Finchley
| Room category | Per month: 1 January 2012 to 31 January 2012 |
Per month: 1 January 2012 to 31 January 2012 |
Per month: 1 February 2012 to 29 February 2012 |
Per month: 1 February 2012 to 29 February 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 room with or without shared living room and sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet |
£80.00 | £346.67 | £80.00 | £346.67 |
| 1 bedroom | £175.00 | £758.33 | £178.85 | £775.02 |
| 2 bedrooms | £230.00 | £996.67 | £230.77 | £1000.00 |
| 3 bedrooms | £288.46 | £1249.99 | £288.46 | £1249.99 |
| 4 bedrooms or more | £350.00 | £1516.67 | £360.00 | £1560.00 |
147 - North West London
mainly west of M1 and north of the A406 North Circular Road
Edgware, Burnt Oak, Colindale and West Hendon
| Room category | Per month: 1 January 2012 to 31 January 2012 |
Per month: 1 January 2012 to 31 January 2012 |
Per month: 1 February 2012 to 29 February 2012 |
Per month: 1 February 2012 to 29 February 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 room with or without shared living room and sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet |
£80.81 | £350.18 | £80.81 | £350.18 |
| 1 bedroom | £173.08 | £750.01 | £173.08 | £750.01 |
| 2 bedrooms | £219.23 | £950.00 | £219.23 | £950.00 |
| 3 bedrooms | £288.46 | £1249.99 | £288.46 | £1249.99 |
| 4 bedrooms or more | £346.15 | £1499.98 | £346.15 | £1499.98 |
161 - Inner North London
mainly south of the A406 North Circular Road and west of the A1000
Golders Green, Temple Fortune, Cricklewood Hampstead Garden Suburb parts of East Finchley
| Room category | Per month: 1 January 2012 to 31 January 2012 |
Per month: 1 January 2012 to 31 January 2012 |
Per month: 1 February 2012 to 29 February 2012 |
Per month: 1 February 2012 to 29 February 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 room with or without shared living room and sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet |
£87.50 | £379.17 | £87.50 | £379.17 |
| 1 bedroom | £250.00 | £1083.33 | £250.00 | £1083.33 |
| 2 bedrooms | £290.00 | £1256.67 | £290.00 | £1256.67 |
| 3 bedrooms | £340.00 | £1473.33 | £340.00 | £1473.33 |
| 4 bedrooms | £400.00 | £1733.33 | £400.00 | £1733.33 |
For details on how your benefit is worked out, return to benefits.
Email this pageLast modified by: Kevin Murphy on 24/01/2012