Frequently asked questions

General
What is housing and council tax benefit?
What if I cannot get to your office? 
What does housing benefit cover?

Claiming benefit 
Who can claim housing and council tax benefit?
How do I claim?
How much will I get?
Is there a capital limit to claiming benefit?
Can I have my claim backdated?
I'm from overseas - can I claim?  
I'm self employed - can I claim? 
Can I find out how much rent will be used to calculate housing benefit before I move into new accommodation?
What if council tax is included in my rent?
Do you need to know who else is living with me?
How do you decide if my rent is too high?

Paying benefit
How do you pay benefit?

Benefit entitlement before moving into a property
Can I claim housing benefit before I move into a property?
I'm waiting for adaptations to my property before I move in – can I claim?
I'm waiting for a Social Fund payment - can I claim?
I'm waiting to leave hospital – can I claim?
Can I make an advance claim?

General:
What is housing and council tax benefit?
It is a benefit paid by the council to provide help towards rent and/or council tax liabilities.  

What if I cannot get to your office?

Surgeries
Housing benefit surgeries are held at the following locations:

Northolt Library
Church Road, off Bengarth Road Northolt, Middlesex UB5 5AS
Tel: (020) 8845 3380.
Day/time: 10am-12 noon on the first Thursday of the month
Wheelchair accessible

Southall Day Centre
20 Western Road, Southall, Middlesex UB2 5DS
Tel: (020) 8574 0902
Day/time: 10am-12 noon on Wednesdays
Wheelchair accessible

Somali Women’s Centre
Priory Community Centre, Acton Lane, Acton London W3 8NY
Tel: (020) 8896 0566
Day/time: 10am-12 noon every first and third Monday of the month 
Wheelchair accessible

Home visits
In order to give all our customers equal access to the benefits service, we also offer home visits to those who cannot get to our central Ealing office and need help filling in our form.  To request a home visit please telephone our visiting team on (020) 8825 7733.

What does housing benefit cover?
You cannot claim housing benefit for:

Some charges can be included in your rent if you have to pay for them under your tenancy agreement.  Examples are:

Claiming benefit: 
Who can claim housing and council tax benefit?
You must be responsible for paying rent and/or council tax, live in the accommodation as your home and have income and capital below certain levels. You can get an estimate of how much you qualify for by using the online benefit calculator [link to benefit calculator]. 

You can claim if you are working or not. You do not need to have paid any national insurance contributions.  You may:

By partner we mean someone of the opposite or same sex who you are married to or live with as if you were married.  For benefit purposes partner includes civil partnership agreements and those living together as if they were civil partners.  You and your partner must decide who is to make the claim, and that person should then complete the claim form, which you should both sign.

You do not have to be a British citizen to claim. The overseas claimants page provides further guidance on people from overseas who can claim benefit. 

It does not matter what type of accommodation you have. You can claim housing benefit if you:

People who live in bail hostels, residential care or nursing homes cannot claim housing benefit, but should contact the DWP Benefits Agency, who have a scheme for help with the rent for these properties.

How do I claim?
You will need to complete a claim form. This form is applicable for housing benefit and council tax benefit.  Proof of identity and your national insurance number must be provided with your form.

How much will I get?
To work out your housing benefit we look at:

Is there a capital limit to claiming benefit?
The capital limit is £16,000 unless you are over 60 and receiving the guarantee  or pension credit.

Can I have my claim backdated?
Benefit can be backdated for up to 52 weeks from the date you ask us in writing. Your claim will be backdated if you can provide continuous good cause for not applying earlier.  If you apply you must supply as much evidence as possible to support your claim eg a doctors letter.

I'm from overseas - can I claim?
People from overseas who have entered the UK and applied for asylum cannot claim housing or council tax benefit.  However, you can claim if you have been granted refugee status or exceptional leave to remain in the UK or can satisfy the 'Habitual Residency Test’.

I'm self employed - can I claim?
If you are self employed you can claim housing benefit, council tax benefit or second adult rebate.  We will require proof of your income. 

Can I find out how much rent will be used to calculate housing benefit before I move into new accommodation?
Yes. If you are thinking of renting accommodation from a private landlord (not a registered social landlord), you can find out how much rent will be used to work out your housing benefit before you decide to rent the property. You can do this by applying for a pre-tenancy determination.

What if council tax is included in my rent?
If your rent includes council tax, we will treat this as part of your rent when we work out your housing benefit.

Do you need to know who else is living with me?
To work out your benefit we need to know who else lives with you.  If you have a child for whom you do not get child benefit, or other adults living with you, you may get less housing benefit and/or council tax benefit.  We have to assume that they are making a contribution towards household costs including rent and council tax even if they do not.

The amount we take off for other adults is called a non-dependant deduction.  The amount of the deduction depends upon the age and circumstances of the other adults living with you.    

In certain circumstances we do not take non-dependant deductions, eg the non-dependant is under 25 and on income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support. 

How do you decide if my rent is too high?  
If you are a council tenant or regulated tenant this information does not apply to you. This may apply if you are a tenant of a registered social landlord (e.g. housing association), if we think your rent is high. If you are a private tenant, we will ask the Rent Service to tell us whether your rent is reasonable. The Rent Service is independent to the local authority. We must do this if:

The Rent Service will compare your rent with average rents for other properties in the same area. If the rent you pay is higher than the average, we will assess your benefit using a lower figure.

The Rent Service is a government agency providing a rental valuation service to local authorities in England, supplying them with a range of valuations to assist them in settling claims for housing benefit.

Paying benefit:
How do you pay benefit?
We pay council tax benefit directly to your council tax account. If you are a council tenant we will pay it directly into your rent account. If you are a private or housing association tenant you can either have the money paid to you by cheque, credit transfer or directly to your landlord.

Benefit entitlement before moving into a property:
Can I claim housing benefit before I move into a property?
As a general rule housing benefit is only paid from when a claimant moves into a property.  However, there are times when housing benefit can be paid for a period before moving in.

Please note: Council tax benefit is never paid on more than one property at the same time.

I'm waiting for adaptations to my property before I move in – can I claim?
Housing benefit can be paid for up to four weeks before moving into a property where necessary adaptations are being carried out to meet the disablement needs of the claimant or a member of their family. 

If the claimant is liable for rent on their old home they can claim for both properties during those four weeks.  Housing benefit can only be paid for the new home after the claimant has moved in.

I'm waiting for a Social Fund payment  - can I claim?
Housing benefit can be paid for up to four weeks before moving into a property where the delay in moving is because the claimant has applied for a Social Fund loan to help with the move or setting up home and they are:

Housing benefit (in the above cases) can only be paid after moving in and no housing benefit can be paid for their old home during the four-week period.

I'm waiting to leave hospital – can I claim?
Housing benefit can be paid for a period of up to four weeks before moving into a property where a person does not move in straight away because they waiting to leave hospital or a care home, and the delay is reasonable.

Housing benefit can only be paid once the claimant has moved in.

Can I make an advance claim?
People under the age of 60 can make an advance claim for housing and/or council tax benefit up to 13 weeks before moving into a property.

An advance claim for housing and/or council tax benefit can be made up to 17 weeks before a person’s 60th birthday and for anyone aged over 60 before moving into a property.

The claimant must notify us in writing of the date that they moved in.  Any benefit due will be payable from the date of occupation.