How does housing benefit work

You could risk being evicted if you fall into rent arrears — see the section on eviction for more information. If you are a council or Housing Association tenant, your Housing Benefit is usually paid directly to your landlord. If you rent privately, Housing Benefit is usually paid directly to you.

You then pay your landlord the rent. You can ask to have your Housing Benefit paid to your landlord if you are concerned about managing your money.

In all private sector cases there are circumstances when the benefit must be paid to the landlord, Eg. See all advice topics. If you have a housing problem, call our expert housing advice helpline If you have a non-urgent problem and would like to speak to an advisor email us. We are sorry that we cannot provide this information in Welsh, however if you would like to speak to an adviser in Welsh please contact Shelter Cymru acknowledges the support of Shelter in allowing us to adapt their content.

The information contained on this site is updated and maintained by Shelter Cymru and only gives general guidance on the law in Wales. It should not be regarded or relied upon as a complete or authoritative statement of the law. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

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To be eligible for Housing Benefit, you must be liable for paying rent or rates on a property you live in as your main home. To decide how much Housing Benefit you're entitled to, the Housing Executive compares your income with the amount the government says you need.

If you download the form, you should contact the Housing Executive immediately to tell them you want to claim Housing Benefit. If you're eligible, they might use the date of your phone call to decide when your entitlement to Housing Benefit starts. It's important to apply for Housing Benefit as quickly as possible. If you're entitled to Housing Benefit, you'll get a Housing Benefit award. The start date for payment is usually the Monday following the date the Housing Executive received your application.

In certain circumstances, the Housing Executive can backdate Housing Benefit for up to one month. You need to ask the Housing Executive to backdate your claim.

You must give a reason explaining why you didn't claim earlier. If you're over Pension Credit age, you might get Housing Benefit backdated for up to three months. When you claim Housing Benefit, you must give the Housing Executive additional evidence about your circumstances. If you're a tenant in housing association or private rented accommodation, the Housing Executive can pay Housing Benefit to you or your landlord.

If you don't get one of these benefits, the Housing Executive uses a means test to calculate how much rent or rates you can afford to pay yourself. Your Housing Benefit might be less than the rent you pay your landlord. The Housing Executive might decide your rent charge is too high.

This can happen with private rented tenancies. If you're under 35 and live alone in private rented housing, your Housing Benefit award might be reduced. This age condition doesn't affect tenants in Housing Executive or housing association accommodation.

Your Housing Benefit might be reduced if someone aged 18 or over lives with you for example your:. Due to this person's contribution to your household income, the Housing Executive might reduce your Housing Benefit.

LHA is a rent assessment scheme based on:. Tenants or landlords cannot appeal rent levels set for LHA. Our Benefits Calculator can help you, quickly and easily, to find out what you could be claiming. Get a benefits check. Back to top. Postcode Please enter a valid postcode Submit. Benefits and Entitlements Attendance Allowance Benefit rates Benefits and accessing cash - coronavirus advice Benefits Calculator — what are you entitled to? Housing Benefit. What is Housing Benefit? How much money could I get?