How do I work out what Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate applies to me?
There are three steps to follow to work out your maximum LHA.
Step 1: What size accommodation do you need?
The number of people who live with you is used to work out how many bedrooms you are entitled to. Other rooms such as living room, kitchen or bathroom are not taken into account.
You need one bedroom for:
- every adult couple (married or unmarried)
- any adult aged 16 or over
- any two children of the same sex aged under 16
- any two children aged under 10
- any other child
There are extra rules if you are:
- aged 25 or over, single and do not live with anyone else
- aged under 25, single and do not live with anyone else
- a couple and do not live with any dependants
- you are a care leaver aged under 22
- you are severely disabled
For more information about these extra rules please see our booklet Local Housing Allowance - find out how it affects you.
If you need to know the LHA rate for a 6 bedroom property please call 0845 300 0328 with your full postcode.
Step 2: What area do you live in?
For the purposes of calculating the LHA, London Borough of Lambeth is divided into two main postcode areas: Inner London south east and south west.
Find your postcode in the table below to find out which area you live in. For some postcodes, you may need to use the LHA Direct postcode search or call us on 0845 300 0328.
| Inner London South East |
Inner London South West |
| All of SW16 except |
SW16 6DJ |
| All of CR4 |
All of SW12 |
| All of SE11 |
|
| All of SE19 |
|
| All of SE21 |
|
| All of SE24 |
|
| All of SE27 |
|
| All of SE5 |
|
| All of SW2 |
|
| All of SW9 |
|
| For SW4 and SW8 please use the LHA Direct postcode search or contact us on 0845 300 0328 |
Step 3: What is the maximum rate of LHA?
When you know how many bedrooms you are entitled to and the area you live in, use the table below to find your weekly LHA rate.
These rates are valid from 1 November 2008 to 30 November 2008.
| Dwelling type |
Inner London SE weekly rate |
Inner London SW weekly rate |
| 1 bedroom shared facilities |
£85.38 |
£136.43 |
| 1 bedroom |
£184.38 |
£260.00 |
| 2 bedroom |
£230.77 |
£350.00 |
| 3 bedroom |
£288.46 |
£450.00 |
| 4 bedroom |
£381.00 |
£630.00 |
| 5 bedroom |
£484.62 |
£1000.00 |
| 6 bedroom |
Available on request |
Available on request |