Discretionary housing payments (DHP)
A DHP is money from the council to help with rent and costs like a tenancy deposit.
You need to get the universal credit housing element or housing benefit to get a DHP.
You do not have to pay a DHP back.
Make a DHP claim
Contact the DHP team at your council
What is your location?
What to say on the form
Tell the council:
why you need help
if you are at risk of homelessness because of the problem
what has caused problems, for example, the bedroom tax, or your benefits do not cover your whole rent
Easy read advice if you have a learning disability
Mencap has easy read advice on discretionary housing payments.
Video: Discretionary housing payments (DHP)
Video transcript
Discretionary housing payments: Extra money if your benefits do not cover your full rent
A discretionary housing payment, or DHP, is extra help towards your rent if the full amount is not covered by your benefits.
You can also get a DHP as a one-off payment to cover the costs of moving to a new home, like:
a tenancy deposit
rent in advance
removal costs
You need to be getting the housing element of universal credit or housing benefit to get a DHP.
You do not have to pay a DHP back, but if you are getting one to top up your rent it's important to check how long you'll get the money for.
Councils usually only pay a DHP for a set amount of time, so check if you need to reapply.
To apply, contact your council or use the DHP postcode lookup tool on the housing advice pages of our website to find your council's application form.
Shelter adviser Sam explains when you could get extra help with rent or moving costs from discretionary housing payments and how to apply.
[Video length: 01:02]
What can a DHP help with?
You could get a DHP to help with:
rent not covered by your local housing allowance (LHA)
You could get a one off DHP to help with:
moving costs
DHPs could be backdated to pay off rent arrears if you could have received universal credit or housing benefit when you missed the rent payments.
When you cannot get a DHP
You cannot get a DHP to help with:
debt repayments
benefit sanctions
paying back a benefit overpayment
some service charges that are not covered by benefits
How much is a DHP?
You could get enough money to make up your whole rent.
You might just get part of what you need.
This could be paid each week, every 2 weeks or every month. You might get it on the same day that you get your UC or housing benefit payment.
How long does it take to get a DHP?
It might take a few weeks for the council to deal with your application.
Give the council the information they ask for to help make things quicker. For example, information about your rent, benefits, other income and spending.
The council should send you an email or letter when they decide if you can get a DHP.
How long do DHPs last?
DHPs are usually for a set time.
For example, the council could pay a DHP for 3 months to help you with a rent increase.
After that, they might expect you to find somewhere cheaper to live.
What if your DHP stops?
Contact the DHP team at the council if your DHP stops and you still need help.
The council should tell you why the payments have stopped. For example, if they think your situation has changed.
What if your DHP application is refused?
You can ask the council to look your application again. A different person should review the decision.
Try to get more supporting information. For example:
write a statement which shows your income, what you spend and how much help you need
medical information which shows why someone you live with needs their own bedroom
You can complain if you think the council has not treated your application fairly.
Councils get new DHP funding each April.
Apply again if you still need help. The council might decide to give you a DHP.
Need more help?
Last updated: 26 March 2025
