What is the size criteria?
The LHA rate that is applied to a particular Housing Benefit claim depends on the size of the customer’s household, excluding joint tenants and resident landlords. It therefore includes partners, children, non-dependants & their family members, sub-tenants, boarders and lodgers. Unlike the pre-April 2008 size criteria (that is based on “rooms suitable for living in”), the LHA criteria allows one bedroom for each of the following: • Every adult couple • Any other adult aged 16 or over • Two children under the age of 10 (irrespective of sex) • Two children of the same sex aged 10 to 15 • Any other child The “shared accommodation” rate applies to most single customers aged under 25. It also applies to single customers aged 25 and over and couples without children if they choose to live in accommodation with shared facilities.
