Apply for Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit can help you pay your rent if you're unemployed, on a low income or claiming benefits. It has been replaced by Universal Credit apart from a few exceptions.
Before you make a claim
Before you apply for Housing Benefit, check if you are eligible.
If you do not fit any of the criteria, it is likely you need to claim Universal Credit instead.
You can find how much Housing Benefit you may be entitled to before you make a claim by using the benefit calculator.
If you rent your home from a private landlord, we may not work out your Housing Benefit on the full rent charged but on the relevant Local Housing Allowance Rate. If you rent your home from a social landlord, the rent used to work out your Housing Benefit may be reduced if you have more bedrooms than you need. Find out more about how spare bedrooms affect your benefit.
Make a claim
If you are unable to apply online, call our helpline on 01642 393829.
Your payment
Your Housing Benefit can be paid directly into your bank account or building society current account using the online form. We cannot pay benefit into post office accounts.
View your Housing Benefit claim
You will need to register with us to set up an account to view your claim online. Once you have registered you will receive an email confirming your account username and instructions on how to complete the registration process.
If you have already registered for an online account, you can view your claim online.
Register or sign in to view your claim online
Provide evidence
You can provide evidence after making a Housing Benefit claim if you did not have the documents available at the time.
Make a change to how your Housing Benefit is paid
We may be able to pay your benefit direct to your landlord but rules apply if you are getting Local Housing Allowance.
Download, save and complete the PDF form to make a request.
Request direct payments of Housing Benefit to your landlord (PDF, 149 KB)
You then need to use our benefits general form to upload your completed PDF and submit your application.
If your benefit is paid directly to your landlord, we will send them a payment every 4 weeks for the previous 4 weeks.
Further Help
If you need further help or advice contact us.
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