Universal Credit Housing Costs Element - I'm a private tenant. How much will I get?

If you are a private tenant your housing costs will be calculated using the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for your area.

Being a private tenant means that you rent your home from a private landlord rather than from a council or a housing association. You are considered a private tenant if you pay rent as a lodger.

There will be an LHA rate set based on rental prices in your area and the number of rooms you are considered to need based on who lives in your household. Your LHA rate might not match the number of bedrooms you have in your property.

If you're under 35 and live alone

If you are single, don't have any dependent children and are aged under 35, you will only be able to get the Shared Accommodation rate of Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

This won't apply and you will be entitled to the One Bedroom rate if:

• You are under 25 and are a care leaver; or
• You are receiving the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment, the middle or high care rate of Disability Living Allowance, the middle or high care rate of Child Disability Payment, or Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP); or
• You have been living in a hostel for people who are homeless for three months or more; or
• You are a foster parent or have registered as a foster parent within the past 12 months, or have had a child placed with you for fostering within the past 12 months; or
• You are an ex-offender managed under an active Multi-Agency Public Protection Agreement (MAPPA);or
• You are a victim of domestic violence; or
• You are a victim of modern slavery.

If you live with a partner or family

If you live with a partner or have children, the payment you can get depends on how many bedrooms your family needs.

These people are expected to share a bedroom:

• A couple
• Two children under 16 who are the same gender
• Two children under 10 (regardless of gender)

These people can have their own bedroom:

Example

Siobhan (34) lives with her partner Aaron (40) and their four children. Their children are a son aged 17, two girls aged 13 and 15, and a boy aged 4. They get one bedroom for Siobhan and Aaron, and one bedroom for the boy aged 17 because he is a person over 16. They also get one bedroom for the two girls to share (two children under 16 of the same gender), and one bedroom for the 4 year old boy (any other child under 16). They are entitled to the 4 bedroom rate of LHA.

You can use the Local Housing Allowance tool to check how much you can get in your area.

Extra bedrooms

You may be able to get an additional bedroom entitlement if you, your partner or your child has a disability that means they can't share a bedroom and they get a qualifying disability benefit.

The qualifying disability benefits are:

You may be able to get an additional bedroom if you, your partner, or your child has a disability that means they need someone to stay overnight to provide care and they get a qualifying disability benefit.

The qualifying disability benefits are:

You won't be entitled to any more than four bedrooms, however many people live in your household.

This could mean that your housing costs element will not cover all of your rent if your home is too expensive.

Alternative payment arrangement

If you prefer, the housing costs payment from Universal Credit can be directly paid to your landlord instead of to you. This is called a 'managed payment to landlord', a part of alternative payment arrangement (APA).

You can apply this through your work coach or your landlord can make the application.

You may also be able to ask for an advance or hardship payment if you need extra help.

If the payment doesn't cover all your rent

If your rent is more than the LHA amount, you might be able to get help through a Discretionary Housing Payment. This payment can also help with other housing costs such as a rent deposit or moving costs.

• A single adult aged 16 or over
• A child who would usually share but there is no room left (for example you have 3 children and 2 already share)
• A couple or children who can't share because of a disability or medical condition
• A carer who doesn't live with you but sometimes stays overnight to look after you, your partner or child or another adult.
  • Higher rate Attendance Allowance or Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland)
  • Middle or high rate care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • Middle or high rate care component of Child Disability Payment
  • Daily living component of Adult Disability Payment
  • Daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
  • Attendance Allowance or Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland)
  • Middle or high rate care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • Middle or high rate care component of Child Disability Payment
  • Daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Daily living component of Adult Disability Payment
  • Armed Forces Independence Payment