Who can claim Housing Benefit?
Before claiming Housing Benefit consider if you should claim Universal Credit instead
Universal Credit (UC) is a single monthly payment that is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
You will only need to claim housing benefit if you:
- live in supported or temporary accommodation, or
- are of Pension Credit age
If your circumstances are not included in the list above then you must claim UC for help with your rent.
If you are an existing Housing Benefit claimant
You will not be affected by UC until there is a change in your circumstances.
If your benefit was recently stopped and you provide the evidence needed within one month we may be able to start you benefits again. If you do not provide evidence within one month of your claim stopping, you will need to start the process again by making a new Housing Benefit claim or applying for Universal Credit.
You can ask us to consider backdating your benefit claim if you have a good reason. You can ask for a backdate when completing your new claim.
Do not apply for Housing Benefit if you
- Are not responsible for paying rent
- Own your home
- Have more than £16,000 in savings and investments
- You won't normally get Housing Benefit if you are living with a close relative and paying them rent.
Use the Entitled To - Online calculator to get an estimate of how much Housing Benefit you may be entitled to and make your claim.
Please note that this tool is for guidance purposes only. We strongly suggest that you complete our online benefit application form as soon as possible in order to obtain an accurate assessment of your entitlement.
If you apply for benefit before moving into your property you will need to confirm in writing that you have moved.
Apply for Housing Benefit online
The easiest way to make a claim for Housing Benefit is through our online E-Claim service.
Once we have received your online claim, you will receive a confirmation email. We will only write to contact you if you need to provide further documents to support your claim.
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