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Housing benefit - some frequently asked questions

Housing benefit is intended to help people with the cost of their rent.

1. Can I claim housing benefit?
2. How do I make a claim?
3. Can I claim housing benefit if I work?
4. Can I claim if I am self-employed?
5. What other proof do I need to provide?
6. What do I need to provide as proof of rent?
7. Does the amount of capital I have affect my claim?
8. What happens if I have somebody aged 18 or over, other than my partner, living with me?
9. When will benefit be paid from?
10. Can my claim be backdated?
11. What rent will you use to work out my benefit? (private tenants only)
12. How long is housing benefit paid for?
13. How will housing benefit be paid?
14. What happens when you receive my claim?
15. What happens if I do not agree with your decision?
16. What happens if my circumstances change?
17. I have started work. What do I need to do?
18. Can I get any extra help in paying my rent?
19. How can I report suspected Housing benefit fraud?
20. How can I report suspected Council tax fraud?
21. How do I contact the city council's benefits service?

Can I claim housing benefit?
You can claim housing benefit if you are a council tenant, private tenant, housing association tenant, sub-tenant or lodger.

The amount you will receive will be based on your income and circumstances.

You cannot get housing benefit if:-

• You, or your partner have joint savings and investments of more than £16,000.
• You pay rent to a close relative who lives in the same home as you.
• You own the place where you live.

How do I make a claim?
If you are also claiming Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Minimum Income Guarantee, the Department for Work and Pensions will include a housing/council tax benefit claim form in the claim pack they send to you. You need to complete the form and send it directly to us at the address shown at the bottom of this page.

You can download a housing/council tax benefit form or you can contact us on 0161 909 6506 (council property) or 0161 909 6504 (private property), and we will send you a claim form. You can also get a claim form from the Benefits Office in Swinton or, if you are a council tenant, from your local housing office.

It is important that you complete and return the claim form to us at the address shown on the form as soon as possible. If you do not have all of the proof that we have asked for on the form straight away you still need to return the form to us and state on the form or a separate sheet of paper when the other information will be provided. If you delay sending the form to us, you could lose benefit.

It is very important that you complete each section on the form and tick each yes and no box. If the form is not properly completed we will have to return it to you and it will delay your claim.

If you need help to complete the form please contact us on the phone number shown on the form.

Can I claim housing benefit if I work?
Yes you can claim housing benefit if you work and receive a low income.

We will need to see proof of your earnings. You will need to provide:-

• Your last five payslips, if you are paid weekly
• Your last two payslips, if you are paid monthly
• If you have only recently started work and not yet been paid, ask your employer to provide an estimate of your gross earnings, tax and National Insurance deductions. We will use this information to calculate your housing benefit until you receive actual details of your earnings.

Can I claim if I am self-employed?
Yes, you can claim housing benefit if you are self-employed and receive a low income from your business. You will need to send us your most recent accounts with your claim form if possible and we will also send you our self-employed information sheet to complete.

What other proof do I need to provide?
You need to provide proof of all income and capital in respect of yourself and your partner. You also need to provide proof of your identities and National Insurance numbers. The claim form will advise you what you can provide as proof.

What do I need to provide as proof of rent?
You need to send us proof of rent, which confirms the following information: -

• Your name and address
• Your landlord’s or agent’s name and business address
• The date your tenancy started
• The amount of rent you are charged
• What is included in your rent for example, fuel, water, meals and other support services.
• How often your rent is due

You may need to provide more than one type of proof of rent for example if your tenancy agreement does not contain the above information we may need a letter from your landlord to confirm the other information.

Does the amount of capital I have affect my claim?
It will depend on the amount of capital you and your partner have as to whether it will affect your benefit entitlement.

• If you and your partner have joint capital of more than £16,000 you will not normally be able to get housing benefit.
• You can have up to £6,000 capital before it affects your benefit entitlement.
• Income of £1 for every £250 between £6,000.00 and £16,000 is taken into account when we work out entitlement to benefit.
• Income of £1 for every £250 between £3,000.00 and £16,000 is taken into account when we work out entitlement to benefit.
• Capital includes cash, current accounts, other bank/building society/post office accounts, unit trusts, ISAs, TESSAs, National Savings Certificates, shares, premium bonds and property (other than the home you live in) or land you own.

What happens if I have somebody aged 18 or over other than my partner living with me?
Your benefit may be reduced if you have somebody else aged over 18 other than your partner living with you such as a grown up son or daughter.

The amount that will be deducted will depend on their income and circumstances.

When will benefit be paid from?
Your benefit will usually start from the Monday after we receive your claim form. It is important that you return your claim form to us as soon as possible as any delay may result in you losing benefit.

Can my claim be backdated?
You can ask for your claim to be backdated for up to 52 weeks from the date you make the request, which must be in writing.

You must have a good reason for not applying earlier. You can request backdated benefit on the housing benefit claim form or you can request a backdate request form by phoning 0161 909 6506 (council property), 0161 909 6504 (private property), or by writing to us with your details (address at foot of page).

What rent will you use to work out my benefit? (private tenants only)
If you are the tenant of a housing association, we will normally base your housing benefit entitlement on the rent that you are charged (apart from services that are not covered by housing benefit for example water rates).

How long is housing benefit paid for?
Housing Benefit is awarded for as long as entitlement remains. From time to time we will need to confirm details of your claim and we will contact you where this is necessary or we may arrange to visit

How will housing benefit be paid?
Under the Local Housing Allowance rules, the tenant no longer has the option for us to pay their landlord direct (unless the tenant is more than 8 weeks in arrears or is considered to be unable to manage their own payments)

What happens when you receive my claim?
When we receive your claim form we will check the form and the proof that you have provided.

If we have all of the information we need to decide your claim we will process your claim as quickly as possible and inform you of the outcome of your claim.

If we need you to provide more information we will write to you again. You will have 28 days to provide us with any additional information that we request or for you to advise us when the information will be available.

What happens if I do not agree with your decision?
When we have decided your claim we will send you a notification letter, which will advise you of the outcome. The letter will advise you of all of the details we have used to work out your benefit entitlement and it is important that you check that the information is correct. You must let us know within one month if you do not agree with the decision we have made in your case. More information regarding how to appeal a decision.

What happens if my circumstances change?
It is very important that you let us know immediately if you have a change in your circumstances as you may receive too little or too much benefit.

It is an offence not to tell us about any change of circumstance that affects your benefit. We may take court action against you and if we pay you too much benefit, you will probably have to pay it back.

You can tell us about any changes by writing to the Benefit Service at the address shown at the bottom of this page or you can use the change of circumstances form that was sent to you with your housing benefit award notice. It is important that you provide details of the change, the date that the change occurred and proof where appropriate.

Examples of the type of changes that you need to report are as follows:

• If you change your address
• If your rent changes (private tenants only)
• If you or your partner go into hospital
• If you or your partner’s income or savings increase or decrease
• Including:
  • If Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance stops
  • Starting work or changing employer
  • If the amount or type of state benefit changes
  • If wages increase or decrease
  • If private pension increases
  • If a tax credit is awarded or the amount of award changes
• Changes affecting people who live with you including:
  • If someone comes to live with you or if someone leaves your household
  • If the income or circumstances of someone living with you change (e.g. they start work or their Income Support ends)
  • If you stop getting child benefit for someone

This list only provides some examples of the type of changes that may occur and is not exhaustive and it is important that you check with the Benefit Service on the phone number shown below if you are unsure if a change will affect your entitlement to housing benefit.

I have started work, what do I need to do?
If you are receiving income support or income-based Jobseekers Allowance you should notify the date you started work to both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Benefit Service.

Extended payment If you have been on Income Support , Income Based Jobseekers Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance for 26 weeks or more, immediately before starting work you may be entitled to an Extended Payment of housing benefit.

This means that for the first 4 weeks after you start work you will continue to receive the same amount of housing benefit that was in payment before starting work.

If you wish to claim an Extended Payment you need to advise the Jobcentre, Social Security Office or council within 8 days of your Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance ceasing. It is important that you do this as we cannot backdate a claim for an Extended Payment.

You may also be able to get an extended payment of council tax benefit to cover council tax.

Making a further claim for housing benefit after starting work
You may still be entitled to housing benefit after you start work if you have a low income. You will need to fill in a new housing benefit form providing details of your new circumstances.

Where you have not yet received your first wage from your new employer you will need to ask them to provide us with details of your likely gross earnings and tax and national insurance deductions so that we can estimate your earnings to calculate your housing benefit entitlement.

Where you have claimed an Extended Payment and/or Lone Parent Run-on and make a further claim for housing benefit within seven days of starting work and provide the information that we need to determine your claim we will 'fast track' your claim to ensure that payments of housing benefit payments are continuous.

When you have received your first wage slips you will need to send them to the Benefit Office so that we can check details of your actual earnings and we may have to amend your claim again.

Can I get any extra help in paying my rent?
If you do not qualify for full housing benefit, it may mean that you have to pay something towards your rent.

You could apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment to help towards these payments.

If you think that you may qualify for extra help, please put your reasons in writing to us and we will consider your case.

You will need to provide us with full details of why you feel you should get extra help for example details of any medical conditions and family circumstances you feel should be taken into account.

We may need to ask you to provide additional information and/or evidence to support your application.

How can I report suspected Housing benefit fraud?
The council are committed to ensuring that people receive their correct entitlement to housing and/or council tax benefit and every effort will be made to deal with claims as quickly as possible.

However, it is important that people who are claiming benefit to which they are not entitled are reported to the Benefits Service so that the appropriate action can be taken against them.

If you are aware of or think that somebody may be claiming benefit fraudulently you can contact us on the Benefit Fraud Hotline 0800 328 6340, which is a 24-hour freephone service. Any information provided will be treated in confidence.

How can I report suspected Council tax fraud?
If you believe people are receiving a discount off their Council tax bill, which they are not entitled to, please report this on 909 6502, alternatively please email revenues@salford.gov.uk

Contacting Salford City Council's benefits service

Address for writing regarding benefits claims and payments:-

Housing & Council Tax Benefits Administration
Salford City Council
Chorley Road
Swinton
Salford
M27 5AW

Call 0161 909 6502 (if you live in a council property)
0161 909 6504 (if you live in a private property)

email revenues@salford.gov.uk.

This page was last updated on 14 September 2007

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