Local housing allowance

Working out your Local Housing Allowance

You can work out how much Local Housing Allowance (LHA) you could get.

How much LHA you get depends on:

  • who lives with you
  • which area you want to live in
  • how much money you have coming in
  • what savings you have

To work out how much you may get:

  • work out how many rooms you are allowed, as explained below
  • check the LHA rate for the area you want to live in – go to GOV.UK: Local Housing Allowance rates
  • find out if you can get the full rate of LHA, which may be affected by any money you have coming in or savings you have

How to work out how many rooms you are allowed

The number of people who live with you will be used to work out how many bedrooms and living rooms you are allowed. We don't count other rooms such as a kitchen or bathroom.

You can use the following information as a guide to work out how many rooms you are allowed.

You are allowed 1 bedroom for:

  • every adult couple, whether married or unmarried
  • any other adult aged 16 or over
  • any 2 children under age 10
  • any 2 children of the same sex aged under 16
  • any other child

You are entitled to:

  • 1 living room if 1 to 3 people live in the property
  • 2 living rooms if 4 to 6 people live in the property
  • 3 living rooms if 7 or more people live in the property