Author: Advice Hub

Housing Benefit

You might be able to get Housing Benefit to help pay your rent if you’re on a low income or you claim benefits. Housing Benefit is paid by your local council.

If you own your home, check if you can get help to pay your mortgage interest instead. Most people can’t make a new claim for Housing Benefit.

You can only make a new claim for Housing Benefit if one of the following applies:

• you, and your partner if you’ve got one, have reached State Pension age – check your state pension age on GOV.UK
• you or your partner have been getting Pension Credit since before 15 May 2019
• you live in temporary accommodation
• your landlord’s a county council, charity or housing association and they give you care or support – for example if you live in sheltered housing

If you can’t make a new claim for Housing Benefit, you might be able to apply for Universal Credit instead – check if you can claim Universal Credit.

Personal Independence Claims

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can help you with some of the extra costs if you have a long term physical or mental health condition or disability.

The amount you get depends on how your condition affects you, not the condition itself. You’ll be assessed by a health professional to work out the level of help you can get.

Your carer could get Carer’s Allowance if you have substantial caring needs.

If you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is being replaced by PIP for most adults. You’ll keep getting DLA if:

• you’re under 16
• you were born on or before 8 April 1948

If you were born after 8 April 1948, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will invite you to apply for PIP. You do not need to do anything until DWP writes to you about your DLA unless your circumstances change.

Private Renting​

Getting Help From The Council

Our guide explains how to ask the council for help if you’re homeless now or might become homeless in the next 8 weeks: The council must help if you’re homeless or facing homelessness in the next 8 weeks.

This includes when you have a valid section 21 notice that ends in the next 8 weeks.

You can be homeless even if you have somewhere to stay if it’s not safe or reasonable for you to live there. For example, if you’re experiencing domestic abuse.

Find out when you count as:

• legally homeless
• threatened with homelessness

How the council must help

When you ask the council for help, you are making a homeless application.

The council must look into your situation to decide how they have to help.

How much help you get depends on your situation. Some people qualify for emergency housing while the council looks into things.

The council’s homeless team only has to give general advice and information if you don’t meet the immigration conditions.

Homelessness

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