Housing Benefit

What is Housing Benefit?

If you are a landlord or prospective landlord and rent or want to rent out your property, you may have tenants entitled to receive help from their local Council towards paying their rent.

The help that they will receive is called Housing Benefit.

Housing Benefit helps people on a low income or who receive Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance, with their housing costs.

If a tenant makes a claim for Housing Benefit the Council will normally ask you some simple information about the tenancy.

How is a claim made?

A claim is made by completing a Housing Benefit claim form.

Your tenant does not need to tell you that they have claimed benefit. The Council can only discuss a benefit claim with a landlord if the tenant has given his or her permission for us to do this.