How much of your rent counts for Housing Benefit
Rent and Housing Benefit
We may not use all of the rent your landlord charges you to work out how much Housing Benefit you are entitled to.
Registered Social Landlord (RSL) tenants
If you rent a property from a Registered Social Landlord (also known as a housing association), the rent we take into account when calculating your Housing Benefit depends on:
- Your "eligible rent" - This is the maximum amount of your actual rent we can cover, it does not include service charges such as water charges
- How many spare bedrooms you have, if you are under pension age
Private tenants
If you are renting a property from a private landlord, we base the amount of Housing Benefit you receive on the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rules.
Local Housing Allowance
Local Housing Allowance (LHA) is a rent scheme that we have to use when calculating how much Housing Benefit you receive if you are renting a property from a private landlord.
These are set amounts and the rate you are entitled to is based on the size of the accommodation that you need (such as the number of people who live with you and their ages). These rates are decided by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA), and are the maximum amount we can pay towards your rent.
The amount of benefit you receive depends on the following:
- The number of bedrooms your property has and how many you need
- Who lives with you
- Where you live
- Whether you are under 35 years old, living alone and do not claim for any children. In which case, you would be entitled to the shared accommodation rate
Local Housing Allowance rates 2024/25
| Area | Shared accommodation rate | 1 bedroom rate | 2 bedroom rate | 3 bedroom rate | 4 bedroom rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herefordshire | £80.89 | £109.32 | £138.08 | £172.60 | £224.38 |
| Worcester North | £75.91 | £118.52 | £149.59 | £172.60 | £228.99 |
| Worcester South | £88.05 | £130.95 | £161.10 | £189.86 | £264.66 |
| Gloucester | £78.59 | £103.56 | £138.08 | £172.60 | £218.63 |
| Shropshire | £85.00 | £109.32 | £136.93 | £166.85 | £224.38 |
| Brecon and Radnor | £76.50 | £78.25 | £101.26 | £126.58 | £149.59 |
| Monmouthshire | £77.65 | £122.70 | £161.10 | £182.96 | £253.15 |
Rent Officer
The Rent Officer is responsible for deciding the maximum amount of rent that you can get Housing Benefit for if:
- Your rent includes food
- You live in a boat, mobile home or caravan
- You live in a hostel
- You live in a Rent Act protected property
Rent Officers base their decisions on the average rent for a similar property in the area and what size property they consider reasonable for the number of people in your household.
The Rent Officers are from the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and are independent from Herefordshire Council.
Tell us if your circumstances change
If you are a private tenant and your rent changes you must tell us immediately so that your claim can be recalculated.
Even if you are unsure whether you need to tell us, tell us anyway.