Glossary
Local Housing Allowance (LHA)
Also called: LHA
In one sentence
The flat-rate limit on help with rent for private tenants, set for each area and property size. It does not apply to exempt accommodation.
Single people under 35 usually get the lower shared accommodation rate, with exemptions for care leavers under 25 and under-25s who have spent three months in a homeless hostel.
Related terms
Where it comes up
- What is exempt accommodation?Exempt accommodation is supported housing where the landlord is a housing association, registered charity, voluntary organisation or non-metropolitan county council, and that landlord, or someone acting for it, gives the resident more than minimal care, support or supervision. Housing Benefit pays the rent, and the usual local rent caps do not apply.
- Licensing and the national supported housing standardsThe Supported Housing (Regulatory Oversight) Act 2023 lets the government set national supported housing standards and create a council-run licensing regime for supported exempt accommodation in England. The April 2026 response confirmed licence holders must meet the standards, pass a wider fit and proper test and assess each resident's needs within four weeks. Licensing is expected in 2027.
- Emergency accommodation, temporary accommodation and supported housingEmergency accommodation is a place to stay at short notice, often arranged by a council under its interim duty while it looks into a homeless application. Temporary accommodation is the wider term for housing councils arrange while they work out or carry out a longer duty. Neither is automatically supported housing. A placement only counts as exempt accommodation if the landlord type and support tests are met.