Housing and Council Tax Benefits

You will be required to fully complete a claim form and provide original documents to support your claim as asked for on the application form.  If you do not, your claim will be delayed and we will be unable to pay you benefit.

 

When we have checked and verified all your details we will assess your claim and write to you with a decision.

 

If you have not heard from us within 14 days of making a claim you should contact the office immediately to check that we have received your form and are not waiting for any other information.

 

If you are intending to claim Housing Benefit and intend to rent accommodation from a Private Landlord you should obtain a Pre-tenancy Determination.  This is required as the calculation of Housing Benefit will be based on the level of rent set for that accommodation.

 

If you are currently a tenant of a Private Landlord and make a claim for Housing Benefit the Council will obtain this information direct from the rent officer service.

 

If you are over 60 your claim for Housing/Council Tax benefit can be backdated to when you became 60 or from the date you first became entitled, whichever is the later, up to a maximum of 52 weeks. When you make your claim you will be asked to provide details of your circumstances during this past period to enable us to make an assessment.

 

If you are under 60 you may ask for your claim to be backdated for up to 52 weeks prior to your application. You must prove that you had a very good reason for failing to apply earlier. This is called "good cause". You will be asked for documentary evidence to support your request. For instance, if you have been ill, a letter from your doctor or the hospital.

Applicants have the right to appeal against any decision made about their claim provided it is made within one month from the date on the decision letter. Appeals must be made in writing to the Council. A leaflet about appeals is available from the Revenue & Benefits Unit which will explain the whole process.

 

If you are a landlord you can only appeal against the decision whether or not to make payment directly to you, or whether to recover an overpayment from you. The time limit of one month also applies to landlords.

 

If you are paid too much Housing or Council Tax benefit an overpayment occurs.

 

Council Tax benefit overpayments are collected through your Council Tax account, increasing the amount you need to pay. You will be sent a bill with the new amount and details of any revised payments. You will need to contact the Council Tax section if you wish to discuss the instalments shown on your bill.

 

Housing benefit overpayments are recovered either by deduction from your ongoing Housing benefit, if you are still entitled, or by sending you an invoice. You can either pay the invoice in full or contact the Benefits section to make an arrangement. If you fail to repay the amount due by the due date further recovery action will be taken against you, which will incur costs.

 

You can now receive Housing benefit payments by BACS. Payments are made every 4 weeks and are normally credited to your account on the Wednesday of the week in which payment is due. You can access your benefit more quickly because you do not have to pay in a cheque and wait for it to clear. Contact the Housing benefit section for more details or a form on which to apply

 

It is very important that you tell the Housing benefit section about changes in your circumstances. Not only does it prevent overpayments but it also ensures that you receive the money to which you are entitled. If the change increases the amount of benefit you should receive you will not get the increased entitlement from the date of the change unless you tell the Council within one month of that change.

 

If you receive Housing and/or Council Tax benefit which does not meet the full amount of your rent and/or Council Tax you can apply for Discretionary Housing Payments.   You will be required to give a breakdown of your income and expenditure before any consideration is made.

 

Discretionary Housing Payments may be given for a limited period if the Council consider it appropriate in your circumstances. However, there is a cash limited budget and the decision whether to give any additional  payments is solely at the discretion of the Council and does not have the same appeal rights as for Housing and Council Tax benefit. 

 

The Rent Service (TRS) is an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions. TRS provides valuations for local authorities in England, for use in the assessment of claims for Housing Benefit where the tenant is renting from a private landlord.

 

Housing Benefit Determinations

 

In making a determination the Rent Officer will consider:

·        The level of rent

·        The rent for similar properties within the vicinity

·        The number of rooms

·        The age and number of people living within the property being assessed

 

The determination will usually run for 12 months unless there is a  significant change to the property or the number of people included within the household.

 

Pre-tenancy determinations (PTD)

 

If you are claiming housing benefit and are planning to rent from a private landlord you can ask TRS to make a valuation before you sign the tenancy agreement. You need to complete a pre-tenancy determination form available on TRS website or from your local authority housing benefit department . The PTD form needs to be signed by you as the prospective tenant, and either the landlord or landlords agent, and returned to the local authority Housing Benefit department that covers the area where the property is located. This form must not be sent direct to The Rent Service.

To learn more about The Rent Service click on the following link to their website and visit their Frequently Asked Questions section:

http://www.therentservice.gov.uk/