Claim housing benefit

In most cases you will need to apply for Universal Credit instead of housing benefit, unless:

• you are of state pension age
• you're in a property where the landlord is: a housing association, a registered charity, a not-for-profit voluntary organisation, an English non-metropolitan county council, a local authority hostel or a domestic violence refuge. You must also be getting 'more than minimal care' from either the landlord or someone on their behalf under this category
• you're in temporary accommodation provided by our Housing Options team.

To make a claim you must:

• rent your home or pay rent as a tenant, lodger or boarder in a hostel or bed and breakfast
• be on a low income or qualify for a benefit paid by the DWP or the Pension Service
• have savings of less than £16,000
• live in the home you're claiming housing benefit for

You can't get housing benefit if you're a full-time student or you live with a close relative and pay them rent.

In some circumstances you may be able to get housing benefit for two homes, such as:

• you've moved into other rented accommodation due to fear of violence
• you're a large family and have been housed in two properties
• you've moved to a new home but have to continue paying rent on your old home

As you go through the claim form, we'll tell you what documents you need to give us and how you can do this. You can also see documents you might need for a claim before you apply.

Make a claim for housing benefit

What happens after you make a claim

We'll look at your claim and tell you what the outcome is. You must tell us about any changes to your circumstances.

We usually pay housing benefit awards from the Monday after the date we receive your claim.

If you have a good reason for not claiming earlier we might be able to backdate it. You can only claim for a backdated payment of up to one month if you are of working age, or three months if you are of pensionable age.