Advice about Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is administered by the local authority where you live. Your local council has full responsibility for assessing how much you should have - if you are entitled to Housing Benefit.

Your local council also has full responsibility for rooting out any fraudulent claims and payments of Housing Benefit.

Housing Benefit is meant for those who are on low income - in order to help pay their rent. (It is not meant for any other purpose, and you should ensure that it is spent for the purpose for which Housing Benefit is paid.)

It does not matter whether or not you are working. It is possible to be on low income whilst you are working and still receive Housing benefit. If you are unemployed you should be able to get Housing benefit to help with your rent.

Who Can Claim Housing benefits.

You will need to be paying rent - either for a house, room or lodgings. Housing benefit is for no other reason, and not for help with mortgages or other loans. It is simply for those in rented accommodation.
It does not matter if you are working or unemployed. If you are a low income group, then you should be entitled to the Housing Benefit.
Low Income. If you are classed as being a low income earner - and you are paying rent - then you may be entitled to housing benefit - depending upon your other circumstances.

How Much is Housing Benefits Payments

Who Cannot Claim Housing Benefit.

There are exclusions of course, and these include

Having savings or assets of more than £16,000 - in a bank account or whatever, normally prevents you from receiving Housing Benefit. This does not apply to those who receive the 'Guarantee Credit' element of Pension Credit. Assets such as property and land are also included in the £16,000
If you are living in a home of one of your close relatives. This will include those you normally class as 'family'. Parents, Brothers, Sisters, Children, Aunts and Uncles and of course Grand parents. The guiding rule is that the 'close relative' owns the home. It does not matter if they do not live there!
Full time students cannot normally receive Housing Benefit. However, if you have children or you are classed as disabled, then you should be able to claim Housing Benefit.
If you are seeking Asylum in the UK - or you are here as a 'sponsored' resident of the UK, you are not eligible to claim this benefit.
You will not be able to receive Housing Benefit if you live with a partner who is already claiming this benefit. Only one of you can receive it.
If you are under the age of 25 - and single - then you will only get it for Bed Sit or for a single room in most forms of shared accommodation. You will not be able to claim for the whole house!

All enquiries about your eligibility for claiming housing benefit should be made to your local council. You may have to phone for an appointment. They are normally quite helpful in guiding you, and have an obligation to give you the correct information about your claim for Housing benefit.

You can appeal against the decision if you are refused housing benefit.

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