Universal Credit (UC): How much will I get? I'm a private tenant
Your housing costs will be calculated using the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for your area.
There will be a LHA rate set based on rental prices in your area and the number of rooms you need based on the size of your benefit household (ie you, your partner if you have one and your children who live with you).
For example, if you are single, don't have any dependent children and are aged under 35, in most cases your LHA will be based on one room in shared accommodation.
This could mean that your housing costs element will not cover all of your rent if your home is larger than you need or too expensive.
You can visit the LHA Direct website (link opens in new window) to find out what your Local Housing Allowance is.
Updated June 2017