LHA rates - how does the Rent Officer set the rent?
The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is an executive agency of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). The VOA provides valuations for local authorities in England, for use in the assessment of claims for Housing Benefit where the tenant is renting from a private landlord.
The Valuation Office Agency has divided the country into broad rental market areas (BRMAs). These are made up of a number of neighbourhoods. In each area there is a wide mix of property types within a reasonable distance of various public services such as health, education, leisure, personal banking and shopping. The Rent Officer uses these BRMAs to set the Local Housing Allowance rates.
There are a number of different rates for each area based on the number of rooms each household needs.