What is Local Housing Allowance (LHA), how it is paid, and how we calculate it
What is LHA?
LHA is used to work out how much Housing Benefit we can pay for private tenants to rent their home. LHA is based on the location of the property and its household size rather than the actual rent being charged.
How we calculate your LHA rate
The number of people living in your property will determine the rate of LHA we use to calculate your Housing Benefit. The LHA rate depends on the number of bedrooms you qualify for.
We allow one bedroom for:
- an adult couple
- any other adult aged 16 and over
- any two children under age 10
- any two children of the same sex under 16
You may be entitled to an additional bedroom if any of the following applies to you:
- you are an approved foster carer waiting for a placement (you must have fostered a child or have become a foster carer in the last 12 months)
- you or your partner need a regular overnight non-resident carer
- you have a disabled child that has proven needs for the spare room (we look at each case individually)
- you have an adult child in the armed forces on deployment, so away from home temporarily
Use the bedroom calculator on GOV.UK (opens in a new window) to work out how many bedrooms your household will qualify for.
LHA rates for King's Lynn & West Norfolk and Bury St Edmunds
LHA rates relate to the area in which you make your claim. They are based on the average private market rents being paid within your area. The actual rent charged by your landlord may differ from the LHA rate.
King's Lynn LHA rates
| LHA Rates | Weekly rate (2024) | Monthly rate (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| One bedroom (shared) | £92.02 | £399.85 |
| One bedroom | £126.17 | £548.24 |
| Two bedrooms | £149.59 | £650.00 |
| Three bedrooms | £178.36 | £775.02 |
| Four bedrooms | £241.64 | £1049.98 |
| LHA Rates | Weekly rate (2023) | Monthly rate (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| One bedroom (shared) | £65.59 | £285.00 |
| One bedroom | £103.56 | £449.99 |
| Two bedrooms | £132.33 | £575.01 |
| Three bedrooms | £155.34 | £674.99 |
| Four bedrooms | £195.62 | £850.02 |
Bury St Edmunds LHA rates
| LHA Rates | Weekly rate (2024) | Monthly rate (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| One bedroom (shared) | £103.87 | £451.34 |
| One bedroom | £144.99 | £630.02 |
| Two bedrooms | £178.36 | £775.02 |
| Three bedrooms | £219.78 | £955.00 |
| Four bedrooms | £299.18 | £1,300.01 |
| LHA Rates | Weekly rate (2023) | Monthly rate (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| One bedroom (shared) | £82.85 | £360.00 |
| One bedroom | £120.82 | £524.99 |
| Two bedrooms | £149.59 | £650.00 |
| Three bedrooms | £184.11 | £800.00 |
| Four bedrooms | £276.16 | £1,199.98 |
You may be protected against rent restrictions if:
- you could previously have afforded your accommodation and neither you or your partner have received Housing Benefit within the last 52 weeks
- you have had a bereavement within your household in the last 12 months and have not moved home since that person died.