Do you need help paying your rent or council tax?
A general introduction to Housing and Council Tax benefit.
Need help paying your rent?
You can claim housing benefit if you are living in a property and have to pay rent to live there. If you pay rent to the council the benefit is called a rent rebate. Any benefit you are entitled to will be paid directly into your rent account and you will have a reduced amount to pay each week.
If you pay rent to a private landlord or a Housing Association the benefit is called a rent allowance. The benefit will be sent either to you or directly to your landlord. Unfortunately, we cannot help you pay a mortgage; you will need to contact the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
You can claim housing benefit if you are the person named as liable to pay the rent on the tenancy agreement. If you are a joint tenant we can help you pay your share of the rent. In some circumstances you can be treated as the liable person even if you are not named on the tenancy agreement or even if you do not have a tenancy agreement. If you are not sure if you can claim you should contact us about this.
Need help paying your Council Tax?
You can claim Council Tax benefit to help you pay your Council Tax bill. You can only claim Council Tax benefit if you are the person named on the Council Tax bill.
There are two types of Council Tax benefit. Both have to be claimed by the person who is responsible for paying the bill. Any benefit you are entitled to will be paid directly onto your Council Tax account and you will receive a reduced bill. The more common type of Council Tax Benefit is called Main Council Tax benefit. It is subject to rules broadly similar to housing benefit. How much you can get will depend on your income and circumstances.
The second type of Council Tax benefit is Second Adult Rebate. You can claim this benefit if you cannot claim a single person discount because you have other adults living with you. The Second Adult Rebate is worked out on the income and circumstances of the other adults living with you. You cannot normally claim a Second Adult Rebate if you have a partner living with you or if the other adults living with you pay you rent.
You cannot receive both main Council Tax benefit and Second Adult Rebate at the same time. When you claim Council Tax benefit we will always work out which benefit is worth more to you and pay you accordingly.
Quick Links
1. Work out whether you qualify for help with your Council Tax from April 2008
2. Notes on how to use the 'ready reckoner' in quick link 1
3. Work out whether you qualify for help with your Rent from April 2008.
4. Notes on how to use the 'ready reckoner' in quick link 2
5. Contact us