Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are used to work out how much housing benefit you can get if you are a tenant renting from a private landlord. There are extra rules about people under 35 and what rate will be paid.
The local housing allowance rates relate to the area in which you make your claim and are based on rents paid in the area they relate to.
These rents are being paid by people with the same number of bedrooms as the property where you live, or the number of rooms you and your household need. Local Housing Allowance is usually paid direct to you rather than to your landlord.
You can check the Local Housing Allowance rates for the area you live in on the DirectGov website at:
Some housing does not come under the Local Housing Allowance rules. This is usually if it is somewhere run by a charity or Housing association where people get support or care.
Shelter have made some information about local housing allowance. More information from Shelter:
It is important you check the rules about rent and Housing Benefit when choosing somewhere.