Welcome To Wirral

Who can get Local Housing Allowance?

LHA is for people on a low income living in private rented accommodation who make a new claim, move house or have a break in their existing Housing Benefit claim after 7 April 2008

Who will not get Local Housing Allowance?

You will not be affected by Local Housing Allowance if:

• you are a Housing Association tenant

• you have a tenancy that started before 1989

• you live in a caravan, mobile home, house boat or hostel

• you are residing in supported housing provided by the Council, a registered Social Landlord, a charity or a voluntary organisation

• the Rent Officer decides that a substantial part of your rent is attributable to board and attendance

How much Local Housing Allowance can I get?

The amount of Local Housing Allowance you can get depends on:

•  who lives with you (how many bedrooms your household needs)
•  what money you have coming in
• what savings you have

Local Housing Allowance does not take account of how much rent you pay. The Local Housing Allowance rates are set by the Rent Officer Service and are based on local rent levels. The Local Housing Allowance rates will change from time to time. We will publish the rates closer to April 2008 and every month after April 2008. These rates are the maximum amount of Local Housing Allowance you may get. You may get less than the maximum rate depending on your circumstances.

What’s different about Local Housing Allowance?

You will usually get any Local Housing Allowance paid direct to you and you will have to pay your rent to your landlord. Knowing the amount of Local Housing Allowance that you will get means that when you are looking for somewhere to live you can work out what rent you can afford, and choose accommodation that suits you.

Some properties will have a rent lower than the amount of Local Housing Allowance you can get. If you live in one of these, you can still get the same amount of Local Housing Allowance and you can keep the difference up to a maximum amount of £15 per week. This will not affect any other Social Security benefits you receive.

When can I claim Local Housing Allowance?

All private tenant claims made on or after 7 April 2008, will be assessed using Local Housing Allowance rates

What happens if I already receive Housing Benefit?

If you already get Housing Benefit your claim will be transferred to the Local Housing Allowance scheme only if you change address or have a break in your entitlement.

How will Local Housing Allowance be paid?

In most cases we will pay Local Housing Allowance directly to you. You cannot choose to have your Local Housing Allowance paid direct to your landlord. You will need to make sure that you have a bank or building society account set up so that your Local Housing Allowance can be paid directly into it.

You can arrange for your bank or building society to pay your rent direct to your landlord by a standing order or direct debit. If you don’t have an account you may want to think about opening one now. For information on basic bank accounts and how to open one please see our leaflet 'Basic Bank Accounts'.

In some exceptional cases we may decide to pay your Local Housing Allowance directly to your landlord. We will provide more information about this closer to April 2008.

How do I find out more?

If you have any questions about Local Housing Allowance you can email us at the address below:

housingbenefits@wirral.gov.uk

You can also find more detailed information about Local Housing Allowance on the Department for Work and Pensions website at: www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/lha