Benefit on Two Homes

Payment on two homes

To download our leaflet on benefit on two homes click here

We receive many enquiries from tenants and landlords about payment of benefit for two homes at the
same time.

Some of these enquiries relate to situations where a tenant moves into their new home whilst they are
still liable to pay rent at their former home. Others relate to a period after a tenant has moved into a new
property without letting their old landlord know of the move.

The issue for landlords is that if they do not know the tenant has moved out they are therefore receiving
overpaid benefit that they will be expected to pay back and losing revenue by being unable to let the
property to someone else. It must be noted that a tenant is in breach of the tenancy contract if they
leave without giving the required period of notice.

Housing benefit cannot be used to pay this shortfall, as the onus is on the tenant to comply with the
terms of their tenancy agreement and on the landlord to make regular checks to ensure that the tenant
remains in residence or, if they have moved out, that the housing benefit stops immediately.

There are limited circumstances when payment can be made on two homes at the same time, usually
for a maximum of four weeks.
These are:

• where the claimant has been forced to move and remain away from their home through fear of
  violence (either domestic, racial harassment or otherwise). In these cases the benefit can be
  paid for a maximum of 52 weeks. However, the claimant must be intending to return to occupy
  their former home
• where, with a couple, one of them is a student and lives elsewhere to attend a training course
  and their occupying two different homes is unavoidable (there is no time limit on this rule)
• where the claimant's family is of such a size that they need two separate dwellings (there is no
  time limit on this rule)
• where the claimant has moved into a new home and there is an unavoidable liability on both
  homes. (these overlaps would not normally be considered unavoidable)
• where a change of address is pending but cannot be completed until adaptations (for example
  for a physical disability) have been made to a property.