Your location: What is housing benefit?
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. This page applies to England only. Get advice relating to Scotland
What is housing benefit? What does housing benefit cover? who can claim housing benefit?
Be aware: If you rent from a private landlord, you will probably get local housing allowance instead of housing benefit.
What is housing benefit?
Housing benefit, or rent allowance as it is sometimes called, is paid by the council to help people pay their rent. You could be:
- a tenant of the council, or
- a tenant of a housing association, or
- a tenant of a private landlord, or
- a shared owner (but you can only claim for the rent or occupancy payments).
Housing benefit cannot be used to pay a mortgage. If you have a mortgage, you may be able to get help with paying the interest through income support mortgage interest (ISMI).
What does housing benefit cover?
Housing benefit can cover:
- your rent
- some service charges, such as upkeep of communal areas or a caretaker.
It cannot cover:
- charges for heating, hot water, lighting or cooking,
- payments for any food or meals provided, or
- charges for care and support.
Who can claim housing benefit?
You may be able to claim housing benefit if you:
- have a low income, or
- are receiving welfare benefits.
If you think that you might be entitled to housing benefit, you should submit a claim form. The housing benefit department will let you know if you will be entitled to any help, depending on your circumstances. See the page on how housing benefit is calculated.
When should I claim housing benefit?
If you think that you might be entitled, you should claim as soon as possible. Housing benefit will usually be paid from the date that you tell the housing benefit department that you wish to make a claim. It's best to do this by phone or in person, as a letter could get lost in the post. You should be sent a claim form for you to complete. The claim form should be returned with all the necessary information to support your claim within one calendar month.
If you think that you might have been entitled at any time in the last year and you have a good reason for not having claimed earlier (eg because you were ill), you may be able to get your benefit backdated.
I am going to claim housing benefit, can I stop paying rent?
You can ask for a 'pre-tenancy determination' when you hand in your form. This should tell you approximately how much help you might be entitled to, giving you an idea of how much (if anything) you'll have to pay from your other income.
Don't stop paying your rent unless you are certain that you will be able to pay all of the rent. You may not be entitled to housing benefit or you might only get help with part of the rent, leaving you to make up the rest. Claims can take a long time to process and you could be left with huge rent arrears. Many landlords (especially private landlords) will start eviction proceedings if arrears start to build up.
If you rent from a council or a housing association, you should ask if they have a welfare rights officer who would be able to help you. You could contact a housing aid centre, Citizens Advice, your local council or a local advice centre. Use our directory to find agencies in your area.
If you are having difficulty paying your rent while you wait for your housing benefit claim to be processed, try to keep making payments at a level you can afford but be sure to tell your landlord that you have claimed housing benefit. You could risk being evicted if you fall into arrears - see the section on eviction for more information.
Who will the housing benefit be paid to?
You can ask to have housing benefit paid directly to yourself or directly to your landlord.
If you are receiving housing benefit, it will automatically be paid to you, rather than your landlord.
If you have more than eight weeks of rent arrears, your landlord can ask for your housing benefit to be paid directly to them.
