What is Housing Benefit?

What is Housing Benefit?

Housing Benefit is a scheme to help people on low incomes with their rent or housing costs.
As long as you pay rent to a landlord or landlady you can get help for many different types of accommodation. This includes Council Tenancies and Private Tenancies, furnished or unfurnished flats, houses or bedsits, ground rent for mobile homes, and payments under a licence agreement to rent a room in a house.

Housing Benefit does not help with the cost of buying your home. We cannot help with mortgage payments, or with day to day living expenses such as gas and electricity bills.
 
What is Council Tax Benefit?

Council Tax Benefit is a scheme to provide help for people on low incomes with their Council Tax bills. If you are not on a low income, but lose your Single Person Discount because someone who is on a low income moves in with you, you may be able to claim Second Adult Rebate.

What is Second Adult Rebate?

Second Adult Rebate is sometimes called 'Alternative Maximum Council Tax Benefit'. It is a benefit to help with your Council Tax, if you are the only adult in your property apart from 'non-dependants' who are on low incomes. A non-dependant is someone who lives with you but is not your partner, or a boarder or sub-tenant.
 
Who can claim?

With a few exceptions and depending on their financial situation, anyone who pays rent for their home and anyone liable to pay Council Tax can claim Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit.

How do I claim?

If you want to claim you must complete a benefit application form. 
We need to receive a properly completed form, answering all the questions, before any award of benefit can be made. The Benefit staff will provide you with help in completing your form if you need it.

To request a benefit form, you can fill in our online form

What other information will I need to supply to claim benefit?

We will need to know all about:

  • Your financial circumstances, including your earnings, pensions and any other state benefits you have coming in. You will also need to provide details of all your savings, capital and any other accounts you have such as building society accounts or post office accounts.
  • People in your household (i.e. a partner, children, a lodger). We will need details of all their income and savings as well.
  • The kind of property you live in and the rent you pay (this only applies if you want to claim Housing Benefit).

This information must be provided on the form that you fill in. You will also need to send us proof of all of the details you declare. We have to see original documents. We cannot accept photocopies.

Where can I get an application form?

Forms can be obtained in person at South Bedfordshire District Council, The District Offices, High Street North, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU6 1LF or by written request to the same address. Alternatively, you can ring us and request an application form to be sent to you on 0300 300 8000, or e-mail us at benefits.service@southbeds.gov.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Information