Help with your rent
Housing Benefit is available to anyone on a low income who has to pay rent for the property they occupy as their home. It is available as either a rent rebate or as a rent allowance.
- If you pay rent to the Council you may be eligible for a Rent Rebate.
- If you pay rent to a private landlord or to a Housing Association you may qualify for a rent allowance.
- If you have purchased a property under a joint ownership scheme you may be able to claim help with the payments you make for the part of the property that you rent.
Housing Benefit is not available for payments you make under a mortgage agreement - although, if you are in receipt of either Income Based Jobseekers Allowance or Income Support, you may be entitled to some help with your mortgage interest from the Department for Work and Pensions.
You must claim Universal Credit and not Housing Benefit if you are a single person, without dependant children and you are making a new claim for support with housing costs, where you would previously have claimed Job Seekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance and in certain cases Income Support. When you are awarded Universal Credit you will no longer be entitled to Housing Benefit.