a local housing allowance (lha) policy restricting housing benefit for private sector tenants to cover a maximum number of rooms had been in place since 2008 and was initially set at the 50th percentile of rents in an area (essentially it covered the median rent), while in 2011 the calculation was changed to the equivalent of the 30th percentile of rents (the cheapest third of housing in an area) and the following year instead of updating the lha rates the government announced that instead rates would increase by a maximum equivalent to the rise of the consumer price index. in 2015 the government announced a complete four year freeze on lha rates (with some of the areas experiencing higher rents having their lha lifted by 3% with targeted affordability funding). additionally, non-disabled persons under 35 saw their lha payment restricted to the shared accommodation rate (instead of the one-bedroom rate that had previously been available)