About housing benefit
This content applies to England only.
Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. Get advice relating to Scotland
Find out what housing benefit is, what housing benefit covers, and who can claim.
If you rent from a private landlord, you will probably receive local housing allowance instead of housing benefit.
What is housing benefit?
Housing benefit is a national benefit paid by the council to help people pay their rent. You may be entitled to housing benefit if you have a low income, or are receiving welfare benefits. Your income and savings have to fall within certain limits for you to qualify.
What does housing benefit cover?
Housing benefit can cover:
- rent
- some service charges, such as paying towards the upkeep of communal areas, or for a caretaker.
It cannot cover:
- charges for heating, hot water, lighting or cooking
- payments for any food or meals provided
- charges for care and support.
Who can get housing benefit?
You may get housing benefit if you or your partner is a tenant or a shared owner (but you can only claim for the rent or occupancy payments). In some circumstances, you may be able to claim housing benefit to enable you to stay in your home if someone who should pay the rent isn’t doing so – for example, a former partner or a partner who is away in hospital or prison.
People who are subject to immigration control or don’t usually live in the UK are not usually entitled to housing benefit and should seek advice before claiming.
Special rules apply to some groups including:
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 support for mortgage interest (SMI) if you claim certain benefits.
How do I claim housing benefit?
If you think that you might be entitled to housing benefit, you should make a claim. You can do this:
- in writing – using a claim form or sending a letter
- by phone if your council has a special number for housing benefit claims
- online or by email if your council allows it
- at the same time as claiming income support, jobseeker’s allowance, employment support allowance, incapacity benefit or pension credit.
The housing benefit department will let you know if you will be entitled to any help.
When should I claim housing benefit?
If you think that you might be entitled, you should claim as soon as possible. Housing benefit can only be paid from the Monday after the date you tell the housing benefit department that you wish to make a claim.
You may be able to get your benefit backdated if you think that you might have been entitled for a past period and you have a good reason for not having claimed earlier (eg because you were ill). Time limits apply, so don’t delay looking into this.
Who will the housing benefit be paid to?
If you are receiving housing benefit, it will usually be paid to you, rather than your landlord. You can ask to have housing benefit paid directly to your landlord, or the council can sometimes decide to pay your landlord directly if it thinks this is in the best interests of you and your family.
The council can pay housing benefit direct to your landlord if:
- you have more than eight weeks of rent arrears, or
- your landlord already receives payments for rent arrears paid direct from another of your benefits (income support, jobseeker's allowance, employment and support allowance or pension credit).
If I claim housing benefit, can I stop paying rent?
You remain responsible for paying your rent even though you have claimed housing benefit. Depending on your circumstances, you may:
- not be entitled to housing benefit
- get all your rent paid through housing benefit, or
- only get help with part of the rent, leaving you to make up the rest.
To help you budget for your rent, it is a good idea to find out how much housing benefit you are likely to get. You can ask for a ‘pre-tenancy determination’ after you have made your claim. This should tell you roughly how much help you might be entitled to, and give you an idea of how much you'll have to pay. If your housing benefit is paid direct to your landlord, but doesn't cover the full amount, you'll need to make up any shortfall. Find out more about how housing benefit is calculated.
Claims can take a long time to process, but if you don’t keep paying you could be left with rent arrears. Many landlords will start eviction proceedings if arrears start to build up. If you are having difficulty paying your rent while you wait for your housing benefit claim to be processed, try to pay some of and make payments at a level you can afford. Be sure to tell your landlord that you have claimed housing benefit and you are making reduced payments while the benefit is sorted out.
If you rent from a council or a housing association, ask if they have a welfare rights officer who would be able to help you. You could contact a Shelter advice centre, Citizens Advice, your local council or a local advice centre. Use our directory to find agencies in your area.
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