Housing benefit entitlement
Start of entitlement
This is determined by your date of claim. For
new claims entitlement normally starts from the first Monday after
your claim is received by Tower Hamlets benefits service. It is
therefore important not to delay making a claim.
If you request a claim form by telephone,
email or personal visit to any of the council's One Stop Shops and
subsequently complete and return that form to the benefits service
or the One Stop Shop within one calendar month, your claim will be
treated as being made on the date of your initial request.
If you claim housing benefit (either direct to
the council or through the Department for Work and Pensions)
within one month of claiming income support, income-based
jobseeker's allowance, income-related employment and support
allowance or pension guarantee credit, the date you are awarded
either one of those benefits will be treated as your date of
claim.
If you are 60 or over and claim housing
benefit it may be possible to treat your claim as being made up to
13 weeks before the date of claim but only if you would have
otherwise been entitled and had reached the age of 60.
End of entitlement
Entitlement will continue until there is a
change of circumstances that means entitlement must end. For
example an increase in your income could mean that you no longer
qualify for any benefit, an increase in your savings to more than
£16,000 will mean that you are excluded from entitlement.
If you stop being liable for rent your housing
benefit must also end.
How is housing benefit paid?
How your housing benefit is paid will depend on who your
landlord is and whether you get local housing allowance or not.
- Council tenants will have any housing benefit entitlement
credited to their rent account as a rent rebate every week.
- Private landlord tenants that are paid housing benefit using
the local housing allowance rates will be paid their benefit weekly
by bank cheque. If they have been receiving housing benefit
continuously since before 7 April 2008, and have not changed
address since then, can choose to have their benefit paid to their
landlord or themselves
- Housing association tenants can choose to receive their benefit
themselves by bank cheque or paid to direct to their
landlord.
Whatever method is used to pay your benefit it
remains your responsibility to pay any rent due under the terms of
your tenancy agreement and to keep in regular contact with your
landlord.
What if I have rent arrears?
Benefit claimants that have rent arrears
equivalent to eight weeks full rent will normally have their
benefit paid direct to the landlord.
Those that are having deductions to their
social security benefits in respect of rent payments will also have
their housing benefit paid direct to their landlord (but only if
the benefits service is made aware of the deductions).
When is it paid?
If housing benefit is paid direct to your
landlord (other than council tenants) it is paid every four
weeks in arrears. This can mean that your rent account will
regularly show arrears. Most housing associations are aware of
this.
If housing benefit is paid to you it is paid
weekly at the end of the week to which it relates.
How much housing benefit will I receive?
This will depend on how much your rent is, who
your landlord is, what your income is, your applicable
amount and whether there are any other people (whom we
call non-dependants) living with you. There are
also rules for working out your rent if you are a private-landlord
tenant.
The maximum amount that any claimant could get
help with is 100 per cent of their eligible
rent. However, not everyone can get this much help
because of the other factors that have to be taken into
account.
Applicable amount
We work out a notional amount of income that
the claimant might be able to claim from the Department for Work
and Pensions if he or she had no income whatsoever. This
notional amount is called an applicable amount.
Non-dependants
For housing benefit purposes non-dependants
are other adults (over the age of 18) living with the claimant for
example relatives. This does not include the partner of the
claimant (unless you are separated) or any joint tenants with the
claimant.
Eligible rent
Eligible rent is the amount of your rent that
is taken into account. It may not be the same as your actual
rent. The way eligible rent is worked out varies depending on
the type of landlord you have.
Extended payments
Extended payments are intended to help people claiming benefits
to get back into full time work after a period of unemployment,
incapacity or reduced hours of employment or reduced earnings.
How much are they?
They are an extra four weeks housing benefit
paid at the same rate as you were getting before income support,
income-based jobseeker's allowance, or employment and support
allowance ended or before incapacity benefit or severe disablement
allowance ended. They start from the Monday after those benefits
ended.
How to claim extended payments
Telephone 020 736 5001 or email the benefits
service and tell them that you want to claim an extended payment
and how long your job/increased hours/increased pay is expected to
last.
The benefits service will check to see if you
meet the conditions and let you know.
You will need to tell us about starting work and if your
entitlement to other benefits ends straight away.
How to contact us
Tower Hamlets operates a centralised benefit claims processing
service and a dedicated benefits call centre both based at the Town
Hall where all postal, email and telephone enquiries should be
directed. Home visits can be arranged if you are housebound and do
not have anyone who can help you.
Benefits Service
London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London
E14 2BG
Telephone: 020 7364
5001
Fax: 020 7364 7048
Email: benefits@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Personal callers should visit their nearest
One Stop Shop to
hand in claim forms, obtain receipts and have original evidence
photocopied.