You may be able to get Housing Benefit to pay all or part of your rent if you are on a low income and need financial help.
Eligibility
To assess whether you are eligible and to decide how much benefit you are entitled too we will consider:
- your personal and financial circumstances
- money you and your partner have coming in – earnings, some benefits, tax credits and occupational pensions.
- your savings and any savings your partner has
- your circumstances (age, size of family, disability, whether anyone living with you should help with the rent)
- the particulars of your home and the rent you pay
- the rent reasonable for your particular home if you rent privately
- your home a reasonable size for you and your family
- the amount of rent reasonable for the area where you live
- the housing benefit will not usually be paid if:
- any savings of over £16,000, unless you are aged 60 or over and getting the ‘guarantee credit’ of Pension Credit.
- if you live with a close relative in their home
- if you are a full-time student (unless you are disabled or have children)
- if your an asylum seeker or are sponsored to be in the UK
- if you do not meet the right to reside or the habitual residence test.
Housing Benefit will not usually be paid if:
- you have savings of over £16,000, unless you are aged 60 or over and getting the ‘guarantee credit’ of Pension Credit.
- you live with a close relative in their home
- you are a full-time student (unless you are disabled or have children)
- you are an asylum seeker or are sponsored to be in the UK
- you do not meet the right to reside or the habitual residence test.
Housing Benefit will not affect any other benefits you get.
Apply online
You can start a new application or continue a claim you have started.
If you are asked to provide supporting evidence you can upload your documents online.
Appeal or dispute a benefit decision
If you are not happy with the outcome of your benefit application you can ask us to review or revise our decision.
