If you are a tenant of a private landlord,
landlady, a housing association, hostel
or guesthouse you may be able to claim
rent allowance. This allowance is often
called Housing
Benefit and does not depend on you
claiming any other benefits.
What is
housing benefit? Housing benefit is money paid
by your local council to help with your
rent if you are on a low income. All
low-income benefits are means tested
– this means that you will have
to prove that you don’t have enough
money to live on.
Housing Benefit
may also provide you with some extra
money towards other things that you
may have to pay for alongside the rent,
such as children’s play areas
or the cleaning of communal areas.
It doesn’t
pay for general things like water charges,
food or heating, even if these are included
in the cost of your rent.
Thinking of applying?
Here are eight facts you should know:
1. Only one person
within the accommodation can claim
housing benefit
2. If you
have more than £16,000 in savings,
unless you are aged 60 or over and
getting the ‘guarantee credit’ of
pension credit, you can’t usually
claim housing benefit.
3. If you have
savings of more than £3,000,
this may affect how much housing benefit
you will receive.
4. There are
separate rules for Housing Benefit
if you are aged 25 years or under
and single.
5. If you arrived
in the UK within five years of your
claim, this may affect your housing
benefit.
6. Some asylum
seekers and people who are sponsored
to be in the UK cannot get housing
benefit
7. You cannot
usually get housing benefit if you
live in a close relative’s household.
8. You cannot
usually get housing benefit if you
are a full-time student, unless you
are disabled or have children.
How is housing benefit worked
out? If you apply for housing benefit,
the council will look
at the money coming in to your household
including:
Earnings
Other benefits
you receive
Things like
occupational pensions
You
and your partner’s savings will
also be considered as will your personal
circumstances such as your age, the
ages and size of your family, whether
you or any of your family are disabled
and whether anyone who lives with you
could help with the rent.
The council will
also take into consideration the amount
of rent and whether this is reasonable
for your particular home, whether your
home is of a reasonable size for you
and your family and whether the amount
of rent is reasonable for the area.
For more detailed
information you should contact your
local council or social security office.
