Local Housing Allowances

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is how we work out Housing Benefit for tenants on a low income and renting accommodation from a private landlord. Exclusions: housing associations, mobile homes, houseboats, tenancies before 15 January 1989 or rent containing a large element for board and attendance.

To calculate your bedroom requirement for your Local Housing Allowance calculation, click on the LHA Bedroom Calculator.

Rates

Below are the Local Housing Allowance rates for Private (non Housing Association) Tenants in Tamworth

Before looking at the figures you need to work out how many bedrooms you are entitled to claim benefit for. Please call us on 709540 or refer to the website guidance about Local Housing Allowances on the previous webpage to confirm the number of bedrooms you need for your Local Housing Allowance calculation.

All Local Housing Allowances claimed by people living in the Tamworth area will be based on these rates for this month. A new set of rates will be available next month. Once you have claimed, your benefit will be based on the same rate for up to a year.

For April 2024 to March 2025, the Local Housing Allowances for Tamworth are:

 

Weekly

4 Weekly

Monthly

Shared accommodation rate

£81.10

£324.40

£352.40

1 bedroom rate

£115.07

£460.28

£500.01

2 bedroom rate

£143.84

£575.36

£625.02

3 bedroom rate

£170.30

£681.20

£739.99

4 bedroom rate

£228.99

£915.96

£995.02

The shared accommodation rate is applied if a tenant does not have exclusive use of more than one room and shares any or all of a kitchen, a room suitable for living in, and a bathroom or a toilet. The shared accommodation rate also applies to all claimants under 35. 

If you are eligible for a property with more than 4 bedrooms, please note that your Local Housing Allowance will be restricted to the 4 bedroom rate.

Local Housing Allowances give tenants more choice on where they live, because people will be entitled to the same amount of benefit as others in the same circumstances, you can find out the maximum benefit available before renting a property. In most cases it will be paid to the tenant rather than to the landlord.

A Safeguard Policy will be used to decide if the landlord should receive the payments.

LHA will not just depend on how much rent is being paid, it includes: your age, tenant's family composition, the area lived in, money is coming in and savings.

A LHA will be calculated for privately rented claims. Private tenants already in receipt of Housing Benefit will change to the LHA scheme if there has been a break in claim for at least one week, or if they change address. Prospective tenants will be able to shop around with their allowance. If they find a property they like with a rent that exceeds the Local Housing Allowance they must, as now, make up the difference themselves.

Contact: Tel: 01827 709540. Email: benefits@tamworth.gov.uk