Housing benefit could help you to pay your rent. Find out what housing benefit covers, who can claim and what rules apply to your situation.

Local housing allowance (LHA) is the housing benefit paid to most tenants of private landlords making claims after 7 April 2008. There is a limit to the amount of benefit paid depending on the area you live in.

Local housing allowance (LHA) is changing. If you are renting privately and are claiming the benefit, you may already be getting less, or your benefit may be reduced in the future.

If you live in private rented housing and have been claiming housing benefit from before 7 April 2008 without a break, your housing benefit is calculated using different rules to those used for people claiming local housing allowance (LHA).

If you have a low income, or receive welfare benefits, you may be entitled to housing benefit to help pay rent or pitch fees for your mobile home.

If you think you might be entitled to help to pay your rent or your council tax, find out how to make a claim, what information you need to provide and how to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Did you delay making a claim for housing benefit when you could have been entitled? You may be able to claim for backdated housing benefit.

Housing benefit is paid by the council to help people pay their rent. Find out what the council looks at and how housing benefit is calculated.

Once you sent in your form, you will have to wait for your claim to be processed. Find out what to expect and what to do if you haven't heard anything.

When your claim for housing benefit, local housing allowance and/or council tax benefit has been processed, you will receive a decision letter. Find out what you can do if you disagree with it.

If you do not agree with a housing benefit decision, find out how you can get it looked at it again.

Changes in your circumstances may affect the amount of benefit you are entitled to. Find out which changes you have to tell the housing or council tax benefit department about.

If you get some housing benefit or council tax benefit but are having difficulty paying the rest of your rent or council tax yourself, you may be able to get a discretionary housing payment.

You may need to start paying rent on a new home before you can actually move in. In some situations, you may be able to get housing benefit.

Housing benefit usually stops when you move out of your home. In some circumstances, it may be possible to get housing benefit for up to four weeks after you move out.

You can only usually get housing benefit for one home at a time. However, in some circumstances, it may be possible to have housing benefit paid for more than one home.

You can get housing benefit while you are away from home for up to 13 weeks, so long as you intend to come back to your home and you are not likely to be away any longer. In special circumstances you may be able to get housing benefit for longer.

Don’t rely on being able to claim housing benefit if you sell your house and rent it back. You may not be eligible for help.

You may not be able to claim housing benefit if you pay rent to a family member, partner or ex-partner.

Prisoners may sometimes get housing benefit to help pay the rent. Find out what happens when a prisoner is on remand, sent to prison, allowed home detention curfew (HDC) or released.

Most full-time students are not entitled to housing benefit but there are some exceptions.

If you are between 16 and 25, your age may affect the amount of housing benefit you can receive. Some restrictions will also apply to people under 35 from April 2012.

From January 2012, if you are single, in private rented housing and aged between 25 and 34, you will only be entitled to local housing allowance at the same rate as shared housing tenants. This may reduce your benefit and you may have to start thinking about your options for the future.

Were your arrears caused or made worse by problems with your housing benefit claim?