Housing and Council Tax Benefits are national welfare benefits that the Council administers on behalf of the Government.

The administration of housing benefit is extremely complex and the following information is intended only as a guide. Please contact the Benefits Section for further information.

How do I claim it?
Housing Benefit is payable in respect of the household. This includes single claimants, lone parents and married or unmarried couples with or without children. The property must be occupied as the home and there has to be a liability to pay rent. Claims may only be made in respect of one property at a time except in special circumstances, for example, if you have to vacate the home temporarily through fear of violence.

There are three routes for claiming Housing Benefit:

• together with a claim for income support or jobseeker's allowance (income based).
• by direct application to the Council. 
• via the pensions service if you are aged 60 or over.

If you receive Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance (Income Based) we may be able to give you enough benefit to pay all of your rent less any amounts for the charges mentioned above. However, if your rent is too high we have to reduce the amount we pay.

If you do not get Income Support or Jobseekers Allowance (Income Based) the amount of benefit we can give you depends on the income you have coming in every week as well as other things including:

• The amount of rent or Council Tax you pay
• Whether you are single
• Whether you have children
• Whether you have a disability 

The Authority has an online Benefits Calculator which can give you an indication whether or not you will qualify for Benefit. This calculator is for guidance only and a claim from will still have to be completed and submitted to the Benefits Section.

How much benefit could I get?
We cannot give you any help towards water charges, heating charges and certain other charges including meals. Please contact the benefits section for full details. If you have any other adults living with you such as grown up children we may have to reduce the amount of benefit we can pay you.

What are Housing and Council Tax Benefits?
The purpose of the Housing Benefit scheme is to help people on low incomes pay their rent. In a similar way, the Council Tax Benefit scheme helps people on low incomes pay their Council Tax. If you are on a low income, you may be entitled to some help in paying your rent and/or Council Tax.