Before the introduction of Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the Rent Service (now taken over by the Valuation Office Agency) provided us with valuations to use when assessing claims for Housing Benefit where the tenant is renting from a private landlord.

The Rent Officer considers the following items in making their determination:

The determination will usually run for 12 months unless there is a significant change to the property or the number of people included within the household.

If your Housing Benefit is assessed under these old rules and you change address or have a break in your claim of a week or more, you will now be assessed under Local Housing Allowance. For further information about LHA see LHA entitlement and payments.