Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit can cover or help pay towards your rent.

Housing Benefit cannot help with day to day costs. If your rent includes things like food, water charges, personal laundry or heating (other than for communal areas), these parts will not be included.

It does not matter whether you pay rent to a private landlord, or housing association or something like a guest house or hostel the same applies.

You can only receive Housing Benefit if you are liable in law to pay for where you live. You may be treated as liable if:

  • You or your partner have a legally enforceable agreement to pay rent to your landlord, or
  • The person who is liable to make the payments is not making them and it is reasonable for you to pay rent in order to remain in the house, or
  • You live independently but share the accommodation with other people (i.e joint liability) you may claim for your share of the rent (Note: this does not apply to couples living together as husband and wife).

For more information go to How is Benefit Calculated?


Click here to use the Benefit calculator Opens in a new window



Click here to Apply for Housing Benefit Online.

 

For other ways to claim go to How to Claim

How much housing benefit can I get?

Since April 2008 the maximum housing benefit payable has been determined by the Local Housing Allowance scheme which sets rent figures dependant on the postcode the property is in and the number of bedrooms required by your household. For more information about this please see our Benefits Guides to the Local housing Allowance. The LHA Direct Opens in a new window website has a bedroom calculator and postcode finder so you can find out what your maximum entitlement is.



Aged under 25?

If you are single and under 25 the maximum rent used in calculation of Housing Benefit will be based on the average rent in the area for single roomed accommodation with the shared use of toilet and kitchen facilities.

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