The new LHA will be based

on rent levels for the area in

which a person lives and

how many people live with

them. There are no changes

to the entitlement rules —this

will be based on a person’s

income and savings and

proof of a valid tenancy.

Payment will normally be

to the tenant, who will then

pay the landlord.

Each local authority will be

divided into Rent Areas. Rent

Officers will set individual

LHA rates for each Rent Area.

These will be published by

the local authority so that

landlords and prospective

LHA customers can be clear

about the amount of rent that

LHA will cover in any given

circumstance.

Prospective tenants will be

able to shop around with

their allowance. If they find a

property they like with a rent

that exceeds their LHA they

will need, as they do now,

to make up the difference

themselves. But if they find

somewhere with a rent below

their allowance, they will be

able to keep the difference.                                   Conwy

We are introducing LHA in

10 Pathfinder local authorities

over the next 8 months. Each

Pathfinder will run for about 2

years. We are doing this to test

the new arrangements and to

enable us to make sure we

take account of any issues that

arise. The local authorities we

are working with are:

 Blackpool

Brighton and Hove
Coventry

  Edinburgh

  Leeds
  Lewisham

  Middlesbrough

  North East Lincoinshire
Teignbridge

We chose these authorities

because they provide a

good mix of urban, rural and

seaside areas so we can fully

evaluate the scheme before

extending it nationally.

The first Pathfinders will begin

in October/November 2003,

with others following in the

subsequent months. The last

ones will have begun by the

end of February 2004. We

will provide full details of

when each Pathfinder will

start in our next newsletter.

Local Housing

Allowance?

LHA is a change to Housing Benefit for people living

in private rented accommodation. The changes affect

how Housing Benefit is worked out and how it is paid.

Where will LHA

be available?

I

I

Why we are introducing the

Local Housing Allowance

The new system will bring the old Housing Benefit into the

21st century and give people more control over how they

manage their lives.

The fundamental aims of the LHA scheme are to promote:

Fairness: Tenants with similar circumstances living in the

same area will get the same amount of Housing Benefit.

At the moment the amount of benefit is set according to

the rent actually paid.

Choice: Tenants will be able to choose the quality and price of

their accommodatio.n. For example, tenants could choose to

pay more than the allowance they receive for accommodation

that is larger than they qualify for, or move to a less

expensive house and keep the difference.