Local Housing Allowance
From 27 June 2018 Housing Benefit (including Local Housing Allowance) is being replaced in Moray by Universal Credit. From this date, if you need help with your rent you will have to claim Universal Credit instead.
As the move from Housing Benefit to Universal Credit is a gradual process, there are some people who will continue to get Housing Benefit.
- If you already receive Housing Benefit before 27 June 2018 and do not have a change in your circumstances after this date, you are likely to continue to get Housing Benefit.
- If you have been placed in temporary accommodation by the council due to homelessness or you stay in supported accommodation, you can still claim Housing Benefit for your housing costs as Universal Credit does not currently cover these accommodation types.
This page only provides information on the existing Local Housing Allowance Housing Benefit scheme.
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a form of Housing Benefit for private tenants.
It does not affect:
- council tenants
- tenancies with registered social landlords
- some supported housing
- tenancies which started before 2 January, 1989
- tenancies in caravans, houseboats or hostels tenancies where the rent officer has decided that a substantial part of the rent is for board and attendance
The amount of benefit you are entitled to will be affected by other things. These include:
- how many bedrooms you are entitled to and which Local Housing Allowance rate applies to you
- whether anyone living with you is expected to contribute to your rent
- which area you live in
- how much money you have coming in
- what savings you have
- how much your rent is
What am I entitled to?
The number of people who live with you, together with their age and gender, is used to work out how many bedrooms you are entitled to. An online calculator is available to help you work this out . We do not count other rooms such as a living room, kitchen or bathroom. The number of bedrooms you are entitled to is then used to work out which Local Housing Allowance rate usually applies to you.
Moray LHA Rates
We have produced some downloads to help explain different types of claims (pdf), payments to landlords (pdf) and information on paying your rent (pdf).
The fundamental aims of the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) scheme are to promote:
Fairness: LHA bases the maximum amount paid to tenants on the size, composition and location of the household. Therefore, two households in similar circumstances in the same area will be entitled to similar amount of benefits.
Choice: Tenants are able to take on greater responsibility and be able to choose whether to rent a larger property, or spend less on housing and increase their available income.
Transparency and simplicity: A clear and transparent set of allowance rates to help tenants (and landlords) know how much financial help is available in advance without the current complicated rent officer referrals system.