Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates for 2026 to 2027 will stay frozen at their 2025 to 2026 levels, according to nidirect, the Northern Ireland government information service1. The rates apply from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 20272.
LHA sets the maximum rent that help with rent through Universal Credit or Housing Benefit can cover for private tenants. For a private sector tenant, the housing element of Universal Credit is whichever is lower of the actual housing costs and the LHA rate1. LHA rates are based on private market rents paid by tenants in a Broad Rental Market Area (BRMA). BRMAs are not the same as local authority areas: normally one BRMA covers a number of councils, and in some cases a local authority contains two or more BRMAs2. There are eight BRMAs in Northern Ireland1.
The published monthly rates for Northern Ireland are:
| BRMA | Shared room | One bed | Two bed | Three bed | Four bed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast | £329.15 | £605.47 | £676.86 | £752.07 | £954.91 |
| Lough Neagh Upper | £308.86 | £421.10 | £515.17 | £581.22 | £615.37 |
| Lough Neagh Lower | £362.78 | £422.97 | £526.43 | £596.64 | £652.87 |
| North | £322.50 | £520.52 | £535.85 | £580.00 | £641.44 |
| North West | £383.29 | £431.18 | £513.61 | £579.39 | £667.86 |
| South | £284.57 | £478.32 | £541.46 | £601.64 | £716.14 |
| South East | £346.32 | £476.33 | £626.71 | £706.01 | £865.22 |
| South West | £309.73 | £385.34 | £456.95 | £492.92 | £579.09 |
Source: nidirect1
"LHA rents for 2026 to 2027 will stay frozen at their 2025 to 2026 levels as shown in the table below."
Separate weekly rate tables for England, Scotland and Wales, and for Northern Ireland, covering both Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, are published for the same period2. LHA rates should be updated annually in April, though in recent years rates have often been frozen2.
A shared accommodation rate is paid to single private rented sector claimants under the age of 35, and does not apply to under 35s living in supported housing in the private rented sector1. Some claimants under 35 who live alone may receive more than the shared accommodation rate, including care leavers aged 18 to 24, certain ex-offenders, people formerly homeless aged 16 to 34 receiving resettlement support, and people receiving Attendance Allowance, the care component of Disability Living Allowance at the middle or higher rate, or the daily living part of Personal Independence Payment1.
Why it matters for households
Private renters who claim Universal Credit or Housing Benefit have their rent support capped at the LHA rate for their area and the number of bedrooms they need1. Freezing the rates for a further year means that cap does not rise in April 2026, so where rents in an area increase, the gap between the rent charged and the amount the benefit covers can widen. The housing element may not cover all of the rent, and the tenant pays the rest to the landlord1.
Where the housing element does not cover the rent, a Discretionary Housing Payment from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive can help pay some of the difference, subject to certain criteria1. Social sector tenants are assessed differently: the housing element is the actual housing costs and any service charges Universal Credit can cover, reduced by 14 per cent for one bedroom that is not needed and 25 per cent for two or more1.
What happens next
The frozen rates run from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 20272. LHA rates should be updated annually in April, though in recent years rates have often been frozen2. No announcement on rates for 2027 to 2028 has been reported.
Sources2 cited
- Universal Credit payments for housing | nidirect nidirect.gov.uk
- Local Housing Allowance rates - Entitledto entitledto.co.uk
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