Local Housing Allowance rates
The amount of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) you’re entitled to is based on the number of bedrooms you need in your household, not your actual rent.
We calculate your allowance using the appropriate rate when you make your claim.
We then reassess your claim after a year, or if your circumstances change.
Current Local Housing Allowance rates
Current Local Housing Allowance rates in York are:
| Category | Weekly amount | Monthly amount |
|---|---|---|
| Shared room (S1) | £96.12 | £417.66 |
| 1 bedroom (B1) | £155.34 | £674.99 |
| 2 bedrooms (C2) | £178.36 | £775.02 |
| 3 bedrooms (D3) | £189.86 | £824.99 |
| 4 bedrooms (E4) | £276.16 | £1199.98 |
How many bedrooms your household needs
You'll need one bedroom for:
- every adult couple or single tenant aged 35 or over
- any other adult aged 16 or over (this includes boarders or sub-tenants)
- any two children of the same sex
- any two children, regardless of sex, under the age of 10
- any other child
The number of bedrooms you need may change from time to time, for example, when a child reaches the age of 10 or 16 years.
Your entitlement to Housing Benefit may also be affected by:
- your level of income, or
- if there's any other adults (non-dependants) living in your household
Special Local Housing Allowance rates
Special rules apply to Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates if you're:
Joint tenants
Joint tenants are those who:
- aren't living together as a couple
- share a property
- are both named on the tenancy agreement
For each joint tenant, we'll use the LHA rate for your own household, not including any family of the other joint tenant.
Single people
For single people under 35 with no children, we'll use the LHA 'shared accommodation' rate regardless of the type of property you live in; however, there are some exceptions to this.
Single people aged 35 or over and couples with no children
We'll use the one bedroom 'self-contained' rate (provided you live in self-contained accommodation) for:
- single people aged 35 or over, and
- couples with no children
We'll use the 'shared accommodation' rate if you live in accommodation with shared facilities.