Ministers have set the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) used in Housing Benefit and the housing costs element of Universal Credit for the 2026 determination cycle at the levels that applied on 31 January 2024. The Rent Officers (Housing Benefit and Universal Credit Functions) (Modification) Order 2026 (S.I. 2026/5) was made on 6 January, laid on 8 January, and comes into force on 30 January 2026. The instrument extends to England, Wales and Scotland.
The Order amends the rent officer framework by substituting paragraph 2(2) in the relevant schedules to the 1997 Housing Benefit Functions Orders (England and Wales; Scotland) and the 2013 Universal Credit Functions Order. For every broad rental market area, the LHA for any category of dwelling or accommodation in 2026 is the amount that was determined for that category on 31 January 2024. This applies to the shared accommodation rate and the one‑ to four‑bedroom rates.
For context, LHA determinations are normally based on the 30th percentile of local market rents and constrained by national caps. In January 2024 the Government revised those caps and introduced a floor to prevent any revision below the rate set on 31 March 2020; those provisions remain part of the legal framework within which 2026 operates. ([legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/11/made?utm_source=openai))
The approach mirrors the 2025 instrument, which fixed the 2025 LHA to the amounts determined on 31 January 2024. Official tables for the 2025 to 2026 year confirmed that rates were carried forward from April 2024 rather than recalculated using newer rent data. ([legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/5/made?utm_source=openai))
The practical effect for claimants is continuity: private renters whose awards are capped by LHA should not expect an uprating linked to rent movements in April 2026. Assessments in Great Britain will continue to apply the 31 January 2024 amounts for each broad rental market area and bedroom category from 1 April 2026. Northern Ireland is outside the scope of this instrument. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2025-to-march-2026?utm_source=openai))
For local authorities and delivery partners, the change is operationally simple. Rent officer systems in England, Wales and Scotland will continue to reference the 31 January 2024 determinations, and local authority benefits software should align to the unchanged values for 2026–27 when calculating maxima for Housing Benefit and the housing costs element of Universal Credit.
The Order does not alter broad rental market area boundaries, bedroom category definitions or national caps. The existing safeguard introduced in 2024 means no rate can fall below the level set in March 2020; where rents exceed LHA, Discretionary Housing Payments remain the primary mitigation available to councils. ([legislation.gov.uk](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2024/11/made?utm_source=openai))
The instrument is signed by the Minister of State for Work and Pensions and includes a standard note stating that a full impact assessment has not been produced because no, or no significant, impact is foreseen. The policy intent, as expressed in the legislation, is to hold 2026 LHA at the January 2024 baseline.
Next steps: the Order takes effect on 30 January 2026 and governs the annual rent officer determination exercise due on 31 January 2026. The Valuation Office Agency and Scottish Government typically publish the resulting LHA tables thereafter; policy and finance teams should plan 2026–27 budgets and caseload forecasts on the basis of unchanged LHA rates. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2025-to-march-2026?utm_source=openai))