How much will I get?
With Local Housing Allowance (LHA), your benefit will be based on:
- Who lives with you
- Which area you live in
- How much money you have coming in to the household
- What savings you have
Under Local Housing Allowance rules, you may be limited to the amount of Housing Benefit you are entitled to. The Local Housing Allowance rates are set by the rent service and sent to us to apply. Ryedale District Council has two sets of LHA rates for Scarborough and York.
With LHA, your household size is used to determine the number of bedrooms allowed within the calculation to establish the eligible amount of Housing Benefit. This number may differ from the amount of bedrooms in your house.
Your Housing Benefit entitlement is also determined through the LHA rate for your rental market area. This amount may also depend on your income, savings, and circumstances.
The rent being charged is not used to determine the amount of Housing Benefit you are entitled to. This means that you may need to find additional funds to top up your rent account.
Local Housing Allowance Rates
1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021
(increased to 30th percentile)
The following figures have been provided by the Rent Service
Scarborough
| No of Bedrooms | Weekly Amount £ | Monthly Amount £ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bedroom Shared Facilities | 65.50 | 284.61 |
| 1 Bedroom | 86.30 | 374.99 |
| 2 Bedroom | 111.62 | 485.02 |
| 3 Bedroom | 128.88 | 560.01 |
| 4 Bedroom | 149.59 | 650.00 |
York
| No of Bedrooms | Weekly Amount £ | Monthly Amount £ |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bedroom Shared Facilities | 75.00 | 325.89 |
| 1 Bedroom | 125.42 | 544.98 |
| 2 Bedroom | 149.59 | 650.00 |
| 3 Bedroom | 166.85 | 725.00 |
| 4 Bedroom | 241.64 | 1049.98 |
Scarborough Area covers:- Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Pickering, Thornton Le Dale, Ebberston, Staxton, Sherburn, West Heslerton, Luttons Weaverthorpe, Brawby, Nunnington and Hawnby.
York Area covers:- Malton, Norton, Amotherby, Hovingham, Rillington, East Knapton, Duggleby, Burythorpe, Thixendale, Gate Helmsley and Sherriff Hutton.
The LHA-Direct website has been developed to enable tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord to calculate the number of bedrooms that apply and the maximum amount of Housing Benefit available to them from their Local Authority.
How many bedrooms will I be eligible for?
Your household is used to determine the amount of bedrooms under LHA rates. You’re entitled to one bedroom for the following:
- Every adult couple
- Any other adult aged 16 or above
- Any two children aged under 10 of the same or opposite sex
- Any two children of the same sex aged under 16
- Any other child aged under 16
Single and under 35
If you’re single and under the age of 35 with no dependants, under LHA you will only be entitled to the one-bedroom shared accommodation rate, even if you don’t live in shared accommodation.
Additional Bedrooms Allowed
Additional bedrooms may be allowed for non-resident overnight carers, disabled couples, a severely disabled child who cannot share with another child, or registered foster carers.
You’re only allowed a maximum of four bedrooms under LHA rates.
Local Housing Allowance review of entitlement
Local Housing Allowance rates apply for a yearly period beginning on 1 April. Each Housing Benefit claim is reviewed on this date or the first Monday following this date if rent is charged weekly.
If you have a change in circumstances, let us know as soon as possible by submitting the change of Circumstances online form.