Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is a benefit to help you pay your rent. You cannot get Housing Benefit if you own your own home or if you live with and have to pay rent to a close relative. Housing Benefit may not meet the full cost of your rent.

 

Applying for Housing and Council Tax Benefit

How do I apply?

You can obtain a form by calling in person or by telephone to one of our offices.

The claim form is a combined Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit application so you will only be required to complete one form.

It is important that you complete and return the form to us straight away.

The claim form details the information and evidence that you must supply. It is important that you provide all information within four weeks otherwise your claim may be withdrawn or may not start till a later date.

If you are unable to provide the information requested you should contact your local office for advice and assistance.

Any documents that you send with your claim will be returned to you immediately.

When will my benefit start?

Your benefit will normally start on the Monday after we receive your claim.

However, if you receive Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, your benefit will start on the Monday after your Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance starts.

This applies as long as we receive your benefit application form within four weeks of your claim for Income Support/income-based Jobseeker's Allowance.

How long will it take to work out my benefit?

Please make sure you send all the information or evidence that we ask for on the claim form and that you have answered all the questions. This will ensure that your claim is processed as quickly as possible.

We aim to calculate your benefit entitlement within two weeks of receiving your claim.

This may not always be possible, especially if we need more information or documents from you or the Department for Work and Pensions. In these cases, we will deal with your claim as quickly as possible once we have received all the information we need.

Should I continue to pay my rent and council tax whilst I await a decision on my application for Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit?

It is very important that you continue to pay your Rent and Council Tax.

You may receive little or no benefit and if you do not pay you may fall in to arrears.

However, if you are having problems making payments, you should contact your landlord (including the Council) about your rent and your local Revenues office about your Council Tax.

More information about your Council Tax and problems making payments

Can I find out how much benefit I will get before I move in to a property?

Prior to accepting a tenancy or moving in to a private property we strongly advise that you find out how much benefit you would be likely to get if you applied.

New rules called "Local Housing Allowance" affects anyone who lives in private rented accommodation and makes a new claim for housing benefit after 7 April 2008.

The rate of local housing allowance that applies to you and your household depends on:

• Who lives with you and the number of bedrooms your family needs
• The area you live in

The local housing allowance rates vary depending on the size of the property. These rates are set by an independent Rent Officer, based on local rents. You may get less than the maximum rate depending on your circumstances.

Knowing the amount of LHA will let you work out the maximum housing benefit you might qualify for somewhere to live. You can then choose a place that suits you.

However in order for us to tell you exactly how much benefit you can expect to receive you should contact or visit us providing details of all your income, savings and personal circumstances. You will then be in a position to know if you can afford the rent of the property.