Who Can Claim?
To claim Housing Benefit you must:
- Occupy the property for which you are claiming as your home
- Be liable to pay rent for the property
- Either be entitled to Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based) or have a low income
- Be habitually resident, or be exempt from the requirement to be habitually resident - this means you must normally live at the property you are claiming for.
You cannot claim for a property let on a lease of more than 21 years except for shared or co-ownership schemes, or where you are the owner-occupier, or if you are a tenant in a property owned by the Crown.
People with over £16,000 in savings will not normally qualify for any benefit.
How much can be awarded?
Benefit can only be awarded towards the eligible LHA rate for a property.
The maximum amount of benefit is 100% of the LHA rate, and this amount will normally be received by a person on Jobseekers Allowance or Income Support.
Find out the current LHA rates.
How it is worked out?
Each year the Government issues guideline figures indicating the amount people require to meet their basic needs. These figures vary depending on a persons circumstances. The income of a person claiming benefit is compared to the Government's figure, and if it is the same, or less, then they will normally received 100% benefit. If it is more then the amount of weekly benefit is reduced by 65p for every extra £1 of income.
The amount of benefit may also be reduced if there are 'non-dependant' persons living in the household, for example children over the age of 18.
The regulations governing the calculation of benefit are very complex and because of this the Council needs detailed information about a person, and their households circumstances, before a calculation can be made. If you think that you could qualify for benefit you should complete an application form.
Can I find out how much benefit I will get before I rent a property?
Since April 2008 and the introduction of LHA, we are unable to issue Pre- Tenancy determinations.
Backdated Claims
If you think you have 'good cause' for a late claim please make sure that you fill in a Benefit Application Form for the period in question and send the form to us together with a letter stating the reasons why you want you claim backdating.
Click on the form below to make a claim:
Click on the link below for some additional guidance to help you completing your form
Still not sure if you qualify? Don't miss out, make a claim.
