Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support
The Housing Benefit scheme isadministered bythe Councilunder legislation and regulations issued by central government.The Council Tax Support scheme is a local scheme.
The schemes are in place to assist residents, on a low income, tomeet the costs of their rent and council tax.
What is Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support?
There are a number of benefits you may be able to claim with regard to Housing Benefit and Council Support. These include:
- Rent Rebate – This is paid directly onto the rent account of eligible tenants living in Council owned properties.
- Local Housing Allowance (LHA) – This form of Housing Benefit is for people on benefits or low income who rent from private landlords. LHA is based on the number of bedrooms people are allowed under the scheme, not how much their rent is. The number of bedrooms allowed depends on who lives with the tenant.
- Rent Allowance – This is paid to eligible residents living in privately rented accommodation that do not fall under the LHA scheme, including residents of Housing Associations, people who have been receiving housing benefit since before April 2008.
- Council Tax Support- This is paid to eligible residents who are liable to pay Council Tax on their property. It is paid by reducing the annual Council Tax bill by any amount of Council Tax Supportdue.
- Second Adult Rebate (SAR) - This is a type of Council Tax Supportfor residents who have a second adult (or adults in some cases) in the property on a low income. The level of support is based on the second adult(s) income and the general idea is that it substitutes any discount the liable person has lost due to the second adult being in the property.
How can I claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support?
In order to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Supportyou must complete an application form and send it to us.
The form can be used to claim any of the benefits above. Once completed, either return it to the address on the front of the application form, or you cantake it to one of our Contact Centres.Please donot delay in sending in your form or you could lose benefits.
Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support normally commence from the Monday following the date your claim is received or the Monday following the date you notified us of your intention to claim (providing you return the form within one month of when it was issued to you).
What information do you need to work out my benefit entitlement?
To comply with government regulations, we require original proof of all income, capital and tenancy/residency.
These proofs can be sent by post direct to us orcopied at one of our Contact Centres either with your completed form, or assoon asthey become available to you.
How long does a claim take?
This depends on how quickly you provide the relevant information and how many other claims we are processing at the time. However, we aim to process all applications within 14 working days from when we are in receipt of a fully completed application.
In order to speed up the processing of your claim, we have introduced an 'Express Service' claim process. If you complete the 'Express Service' form (also available in our Contact Centres) and provide proof of ALL your income, capital and rent details we aim to assess your claim within 5 working days.
What happens next?
Once your benefit claim has been assessed we will send you a letter telling you how we worked out your Housing Benefit and/orCouncil Tax Support. Please check the information in this letter very carefully, if there is anything you think is wrong, you must tell us straight away. If inaccurate information is used on your claimthis may result in a benefit overpayment.
Can anyone help me with the form?
Yes, help and assistance can be obtained by calling into one of our Contact Centres or by ringing the Benefit Section on 01246 242436. If you are unable to get into one of our Contact Centres we may be able to arrange for a visiting Officer to come to you in your own home and complete the form with you. Our website also contains information which you may find helpful.
How will my benefit be paid?
When we have worked out your benefit we will send you a letter telling you about it.
If you are a Council tenant your Housing Benefit will automatically be credited to your rent account. This means you will then pay less rent.
If you are a private tenant your Housing Benefit will be paid direct to you, or, in certain circumstances paid directly to your landlord.Either way the payments are made by BACS transfer direct to a bank account.
Council Tax Supportwill be credited to your Council Taxaccount and we will issue a new bill showing the revisedamount to pay.
What if I disagree with the Council’s decision?
Housing Benefit
If you disagree with the decision made on your Housing Benefit claim, you have three options:
- You can request a written statement of the reasonsthe decision was made, you must request this in writing and within one calendar month of the date on your letter;
- You can request that the decision be looked at again and a reconsideration made by a Senior Officer. You must request this in writing and within one calendar month of the date on your letter;
- You can appeal against the decision and have your case heard by the Tribunals Service, you must request this in writing and within one calendar month of the date of on yourletter.
Please make it clear on your letter which option you are requesting and send your request to us.
Council Tax Support
If you disagree with the decision made on your Council Tax Support claim you should write to the Benefits Section stating why you think it is wrong. We will look at your claim again and write to you with our decision. If we do not respond to you within 2 months, or you still think the decision is wrong you may appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
What if my circumstances change?
It is important that you tell us about changes in your circumstances immediately. If the change means that your benefit has been overpaid you may be asked to pay it back. If you take more than a month to tell us about a change that makes your benefit go up we may not be able to alter your benefit from the date of the change.
Examples of changes in income or family circumstances that could affect your benefit are:
- Income Support or Job Seeker Allowance stops or starts
- you change address
- you or anyone living with you starts work
- your capital or savings change
- your rent changes
- your child leaves school or leaves home.
These are only a few examples of changes that may affect your benefit. If you don’t know if a change in your circumstances will alter your benefit be safe and tell us anyway.
What happens if I have been overpaid any benefit?
An overpayment is an amount of benefit which has been paid but to which there is no entitlement under the rules. Overpayments of benefit can occur both in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support.
If you have been overpaid Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Support we will write to you providing you with more information about the overpayment. If we were making payments of Housing Benefit to your landlord when the overpayment occurred, we will also write to them.
What if I suspect someone is claiming benefit to which they are not entitled?
Benefit fraud is a crime and is dealt with in the appropriate way. Anyone found committing benefit fraud will have to pay backany money to which they had no entitlement and some may have additional action taken against them.
This action could be prosecution in Court, which can lead to a criminal record or imprisonment, a formal caution which is held on record by the Department for Work and Pensions or, an additional financial penalty known as an Administrative Penalty. Each case is looked at on its own merits and the seriousness of the offence.
If you believe someone to be in receipt of benefit fraudulently, you can email theInvestigation Officer on telephone 01246 242444 in complete confidence to report your suspicions.
What are Discretionary Housing Payments?
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP’s) are additional payments that can be awarded to people in receipt of Housing Benefit that require additional help towards their housing costs.
DHP’s are not Housing Benefit and are funded from a separate 'pot' of money which is limited, therefore, each request is considered on its own merits.
However you must be in receipt of Housing Benefit in order to claim DHP. If you are currently receiving Housing Benefit, and you consider your circumstances such that you need additional help paying yourrent you can apply for DHP.
If you would like to request an application form or require further information please telephone the Benefits Section on 01246 242436 or our Contact Centre on 01246 242424. Alternatively you can visit our website: will be required to provide proof of all weekly income and expenditure in order to determine your eligibility for DHP.
Our standards are
- To process applications for benefit within 14 working days.
- To process Express Service forms within 5 working days.
- To respond to all questions or queries within 5 working days.
- To give you help and assistance in making your claim.
January 2015