Local Housing Allowance
- Some market rental homes are classed as Private Rented Sector because we’re a managing agent on behalf of private landlord such as Woodside, Stoneham, Homes for Eastleigh
- They are not affected by the bedroom tax but are instead affected by the Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
- The LHA for an individual property is calculated based on the number of bedrooms the household is entitled to
- The LHA caps the maximum amount of housing costs that can be included when calculating someone’s Universal Credit award
- You can check LHA rates here and you can also check the bedroom entitlement here
When you report rent for these types of properties:
- When reporting housing cost, please select 'I rent from a private landlord'
- When asked who you pay rent to, select 'Landlord's agent' and provide VIVID's address
- The summary incorrectly will summarise 'You said your Landlord is VIVID'. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is aware of this but confirmed it will not cause an issue with the payment
- The DWP usually asks for a copy of the Tenancy agreement in private sector. You might have to provide this as well as any rent increase letters so make sure you keep them safe
