Local housing allowance does not affect all housing benefit claimants. It applies to some tenants in private rented accommodation, but not people renting from the Housing Executive or housing associations.

• Will I be affected by the changes?
  
• Who counts as a private tenant?
  
• Who is not assessed under LHA rules?
  

Will I be affected by the changes?

The local housing allowance scheme applies if you are:

• a private tenant who made a new claim after 7 April 2008,
• already in receipt of housing benefit, but are moving to a different private rented address,
• in receipt of housing benefit but had a break in your claim.

If you are renting privately and receive housing benefit, you will keep receiving it until one of the above situations occur.

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Who counts as a private tenant?

You are a private tenant if you rent a property or a room from a private landlord.

You aren't a private tenant if you rent your home from the Housing Executive or a housing association, or live in some types of supported accommodation.

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Who is not assessed under LHA rules?

Local housing allowance scheme does not apply to:

• Housing Executive tenants,
• housing association tenants,
• tenants of a housing association, registered charity or a voluntary organisation, which is providing care, support or supervision to their tenants,
• protected tenancies,
• rent-controlled tenancies,
• tenancies of caravans, mobile homes, houseboats or hostels.

These types of tenants continue to receive housing benefit, if they are entitled to it.

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