This is a short term emergency payment until you can find alternative housing or income and will normally be awarded for no longer than three months. It should not be considered as a permanent solution to any shortfall in your Housing Benefit (HB) or Universal Credit (UC) award.
DHP is not a benefit and is awarded at the discretion of the council on a case by case basis. No one has the automatic right to payment, and should your application be refused you do not have the right of appeal or reconsideration.
Please read the below sections before completing your application form.
Could I be considered for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)?
To be considered for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP).
You must be getting housing benefit in the benefit week you requested the DHP for.
Or
You must be getting the Housing element of Universal Credit and have a rental liability in the benefit week you requested the DHP for.
If you are not, then you cannot be considered for a DHP.
If I do qualify how much might I receive?
A Discretionary Housing Payment is only paid for a limited period and it’s there to temporarily help you whilst you find other ways of reducing your housing costs.
What do we consider when assessing a Discretionary Housing Payment?
As every person’s circumstances are different, we consider each case individually, but the government does set a limit on the amount the council can spend on DHPs. So, when we get a claim before we make a payment, we think about how much money is available and how many people may need help.
In deciding whether to award a DHP, here are some of the things we consider:
- The financial circumstances of the household. This includes the capital and assets of household members along with their income and expenditure.
- The current Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate applicable to the contractual rent.
- What steps the household have taken to increase their income and reduce their expenditure.
- The level of debt the household has along with what arrangements they have made to reduce it.
- What steps have been taken to try to reduce the rent for example have negotiations taken place with the landlord.
- What steps have been taken to find cheaper accommodation for example are they on the waiting list for other accommodation providers.
- Whether a Discretionary Housing Payment has been awarded previously. A Discretionary Housing Payment is temporary assistance only.
- The amount of Discretionary Housing Payment budget left.
The above list is not exhaustive and there is an opportunity on the application form for you to tell us about your unique situation.
What a Discretionary Housing Payment cannot be paid for
They cannot be awarded to help:
- pay for non-rent charges like water rates and service charges
- pay your council tax
- pay a housing benefit overpayment
- pay for gas, electricity, or other daily living expenses
They cannot be awarded if you are:
Not getting housing benefit in the benefit week the DHP is awarded for.
Or
Not getting the Housing element of Universal Credit and have a rental liability in the benefit week the DHP is awarded for.
If you are financially struggling but do not qualify for a Discretionary Housing Payment, please see our BetterOff in Salford pages we may be able to offer another form of financial help.
Rent deposits and rent in advance
Rent deposits
- Rent deposits are considered on a case by case basis, in accordance with the eligibility criteria
- Rent Deposits will only be considered to secure a tenancy where there is a risk to homelessness or an urgent or essential need to move
- The rent at the new property must be considered affordable.
- Any payment awarded will be paid to the new landlord only
- Rent Deposit awards will cover a maximum of one month’s rent.
Rent in advance
- Rent in advance will be considered on a case by case basis, in accordance with the eligibility criteria
- The rent must be considered affordable. Any payment awarded will be paid to the landlord only
- Rent in Advance will cover a maximum of one month’s rent.
If you are at risk of homelessness or having problems with your tenancy or landlord, you can find further support on the worried about keeping your home page.
To be able to complete the application you need:
- Your National Insurance Number for you (and your partner, if you have one)
- Your bank sort code and account number
- Details of your income
- Details of your expenditure
- Details of your savings and bank accounts
- Your last two months bank and building society statements for all accounts held by you and your partner
- Proof of your rent or an up to date tenancy agreement
Important
You have 14 days from when you start the application to submit it.
You have 28 days from the day you submit the application to provide the bank statements and the proof of rent or up to date tenancy agreement.
If you do not provide the information within this time limit your application will be closed and you will have to submit a fresh application.
If you are completing the form on behalf of someone else, you will need to upload their signed authority confirming this.
Start your online DHP application
You can upload any supporting documents for your DHP application below.
Upload your documents
You must allow pop-ups to complete the form
Depending on your setting on your computer, you might receive a system ‘pop up’ message which prevents you from completing the application. If you do get a ‘pop up’, then please select ‘Always Allow’ to continue.
How do I save and retrieve an incomplete claim?
If you want to exit the application without submitting your claim you can select the ‘Save and Exit’ option at the bottom of the form. You will be given an online key on-screen which you will need to re-submit the application. The online key is case sensitive.
To access your partially completed form again, click on ‘Start your online application.’ Then click on ‘Return to a saved application.’
You will be asked to provide the applicants surname, National Insurance number, postcode, and the online key. The online key is case sensitive.
Warning
Partially completed applications are only stored for 14 days from the initial date they are started and saved. Any left incomplete after 14 days will be deleted and you will need to start again from the beginning.