Evaluation of the LHA Pathfinders

The reports on this page form the baseline for the evaluation of Local Housing Allowance (LHA). They set the scene for the introduction of LHA, provide information on each of the nine Pathfinders before LHA was introduced and give the views of key stakeholders.

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• Evaluating the Local Housing Allowance Pathfinders (25KB) – gives an overview of LHA and an explanation of the evaluation process.
• The Nine LHA Pathfinder Areas: a summary of the baseline position before the introduction of the LHA (314KB) – gives an overall picture of the position of the Pathfinders before the introduction of LHA.
• Claiming Housing Benefit in the Private Rented Sector (1.5MB) – report of the findings from the survey of people claiming Housing Benefit in the nine Pathfinders prior to the introduction of LHA.
• Landlords and Agents in the nine LHA Pathfinders: summary report (29KB) – gives a summary of the findings from the survey of landlords.
• Landlord and Agents in the private rented sector: the baseline position in the LHA Pathfinders (690KB) – gives findings from a survey of landlords prior to the introduction of LHA.
• Delivering the LHA (0.98MB) – a summary of the early experiences of implementing the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas – this report looks at the position within the Pathfinders after the introduction of the LHA. It focuses on those involved in delivering the LHA and examines how it has affected the work of their organisations.
• Receiving the LHA (744KB) – Claimants' early experiences of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas
• Working with the LHA (59KB) – A summary of landlord and agents’ early experiences of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas.
• Working with the LHA - Landlord and Agents' early experience of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas (187KB) – gives findings from a survey of landlords and agents one year after the introduction of LHA.
• Fifteen Months On: An Interim Evaluation of running the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas (655KB)  – this report looks at the position within the Pathfinders fifteen months after the introduction of the LHA. It focuses on those involved in delivering the LHA and examines how it has affected the work of their organisations after fifteen months of live running.
• Living with the LHA: Claimants experiences after fifteen months of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas (2.5MB) – this report looks at claimants experiences of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas after fifteen months of live running.

Local Housing Allowance final evaluation

• Local Housing Allowance Final Evaluation: Implementation and delivery in the nine Pathfinder areas (595KB) – this report looks at the position within the Pathfinders after the full two years of running the LHA. It focuses on those involved in delivering the LHA and examines how it has affected the work of their organisations and evaluates the operational impact of the LHA.
• Local Housing Allowance Final Evaluation: The survey evidence of landlords' and agents' experience in the nine Pathfinder areas (946KB) – this report gives findings from the surveys of landlords and agents within the Pathfinders after the full two years of running the LHA. It focuses on their experiences of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas and is part of the final evaluation of the impact of the LHA on landlords and agents.
• Local Housing Allowance Final Evaluation: The qualitative evidence of landlords' and agents' experience in the nine Pathfinder areas (581KB) – this report gives findings from the qualitative interviews landlords and agents within the Pathfinders after the full two years of running the LHA. It focuses on their experiences of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas and is the second part of the final evaluation the impact of the LHA on landlords and agents.
• Local Housing Allowance Final Evaluation: The qualitative evidence of claimants’ experience in the nine Pathfinder areas (684KB) – this report gives findings from the qualitative interviews with claimants in the Pathfinders after the full two years of running the LHA. It focuses on their experiences of the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas and is the first part of the final evaluation the impact of the LHA on claimants.
• Local Housing Allowance Final Evaluation: Case studies of implementation and delivery in each of the nine Pathfinder areas – this report provides an evaluation of the experience and findings from the each of the nine Pathfinders over the full two years of running the LHA. It focuses on the experiences of local authority, Rent Service, Jobcentre Plus staff and voluntary sector advisors who implemented and delivered the LHA in the nine Pathfinder areas. This is a large document. To make it easier for you to use, it has been split up into eleven separate, smaller files in addition to the full original version.
  • Full report (5.7MB)
  • Contents and glossary (42KB)
  • Blackpool Pathfinder (723KB)
  • Brighton and Hove Pathfinder (878KB)
  • Conwy Pathfinder (750KB)
  • Coventry Pathfinder (248KB)
  • Edinburgh Pathfinder (226KB)
  • Leeds Pathfinder (244KB)
  • Lewisham Pathfinder (247KB)
  • North East Lincolnshire Pathfinder (278KB)
  • Teignbridge Pathfinder (257KB)
  • Appendix: Master Topic Guide (192KB)
• Local Housing Allowance Final Evaluation: the survey evidence of claimants' experience in the nine pathfinder areas – this report provides the quantitative element of the final evaluation of the claimants' experience in the nine pathfinder areas. This is a large document. To make it easier for you to use, it has been split up into eleven separate, smaller files in addition to the full original version.
  • Full report (7.2MB)
  • Cover, Contents, Glossary and Executive Summary (271KB)
  • Chapters 1 - 2 (821KB)
  • Chapters 3 - 5 (2.0MB)
  • Chapters 6 - 9 (2.3MB)
  • Appendix A (148KB)
  • Appendix B (782KB)
• Local Housing Allowance Final Evaluation: The housing and labour market impacts of the Local Housing Allowance (1.84MB) - This report provides an analysis of the housing and labour market impacts of the local housing allowance in the nine pathfinder areas, based on all the evidence streams of the evaluation.
• Local Housing Allowance Evaluation: Delivering the Local Housing Allowance – some pointers from the Pathfinders (150KB) - this report gathers some of the key findings from the work evaluating the delivery of the Local Housing Allowance into a form that should assist local authorities in implementing its roll-out. The note identifies the main issues local authorities are likely to face and indicates some of the ways the nine Wave One Pathfinders (Blackpool, Brighton & Hove, Conwy, Coventry, Edinburgh, Leeds, Lewisham, North East Lincolnshire and Teignbridge) responded.

If you would like to obtain hard copies of any of the reports - please contact:

Housing Research and Analysis Division

Department for Work and Pensions
Caxton House
1st Floor,
Tothill Street
London
SW1H 9NA
Email: Enquirieshrad@dwp.gsi.gov.uk