Applying after April 7th, 2008

West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) is gradually phasing in the new style of awarding Benefits called Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

LHA introduces a flat rate allowance based on the number of bedrooms each customer requires. This means that customers with similar circumstances living in the same area will receive equal amounts of Housing Benefit.

If you are making a claim after April 7^th, 2008 your application will be assessed for LHA. If you are an existing customer and you are thinking about changing address your new application will also be calculated using the LHA rules.

The rates for September are;

Monthly Rates

	Bedrooms
	Shared	1	2	3	4	5
Oxford	369.98	675.00	824.97	949.99	1299.99	1719.97
Cherwell	350.00	524.98	650.00	750.01	1100.01	1519.99
Cheltenham	268.66	524.98	650.00	794.99	1199.98	1465.00

Weekly Rates

	Bedrooms
	Shared	1	2	3	4	5
Oxford	85.38	155.77	190.38	219.23	300.00	396.92
Cherwell	80.77	121.15	150.00	173.08	253.85	350.77
Cheltenham	62.00	121.15	150.00	183.46	276.92	338.08

The rates for August were;

Monthly Rates

	Bedrooms
	Shared	1	2	3	4	5
Oxford	369.98	650.00	830.00	949.99	1299.99	1710.01
Cherwell	350.00	524.98	650.00	750.01	1100.01	1539.97
Cheltenham	271.00	524.98	650.00	794.99	1149.97	1350.00

Weekly Rates

	Bedrooms
	Shared	1	2	3	4	5
Oxford	85.38	150.00	191.54	219.23	300.00	394.62
Cherwell	80.77	121.15	150.00	173.08	253.85	355.38
Cheltenham	62.54	121.15	150.00	183.46	265.38	311.54

The rates for July were;

Monthly Rates

	Bedrooms
	Shared	1	2	3	4	5
Oxford	390.00	650.00	824.98	924.99	1300.00	1700.01
Cherwell	350.00	530.01	650.00	767.52	995.02	1539.98
Cheltenham	271.01	524.98	650.00	780.00	1125.02	1300.00

Weekly Rates

	Bedrooms
	Shared	1	2	3	4	5
Oxford	90.00	150.00	190.38	213.46	300.00	392.31
Cherwell	80.77	122.31	150.00	177.12	229.62	355.38
Cheltenham	62.54	121.15	150.00	180.00	259.62	300.00

Within this section you find out more information about LHA.

About Local Housing Allowance

On this page you will find out how LHA is calculated and a brief explanation about why LHA is being introduced.

Applying for LHA

This details the application process for LHA.

Backdating your application

In certain circumstances it is possible to backdate your application to take into account a period before making your application

Change in circumstances

This page details what might count as a change in circumstances, how to report them and what happens if a change is not reported.

Getting extra help

In some circumstances the council is able to award additional one-off payment to help in exceptional circumstances. This page explains how this happens.

Income and capital

This page gives details about the levels of income and capital that will affect your entitlement to LHA.

Non-Dependant deductions

If you have other people living in your house this could affect your application. This is explained on this page.