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Written question asked by Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 20 November 2023, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 22 November 2023. It was answered by Mims Davies (Conservative) on Tuesday, 28 November 2023 on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.


Local Housing Allowance and Rents: St Albans

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a comparative assessment of (a) the Local Housing Allowance and (b) average rental costs for four bedroom properties in St Albans District Council area.

Answer

The LHA rates are set based on the Broad Rental Market Area (BRMA) each household lives in. The current LHA rates (2023/24) for each BRMA and bedroom type can be found here. The Secretary of State reviewed Local Housing Allowance rates for 2024/25 and announced in his written ministerial statement on 22nd November that, across GB, LHA rates should be increased to the 30th percentile based on rents from September 2023.

The Department does not collect data on rental costs for accommodation in each BRMA, the Valuation Office Agency collects data on rental costs in England to produce the 30th percentile of market rents and publishes the list of rents utilised to calculate the LHA rates. The latest list of rents for the period 1st October 2021 to 30th September 2022 is published here.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
2659
Session
2023-24
Subjects
Rents St Albans Local housing allowance
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk