07 September 2008


Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit


What is Housing Benefit?
Housing Benefit is a state benefit to help you pay your rent if you are on a low income. It does not matter whether you pay rent to a local Housing Association or any other private landlord. You cannot however claim if you live with or have to pay rent to a close relative such as a parent, step parent, son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter or their partners.

Depending on your individual circumstances and the income you receive, we can pay up to 100% of your rent.

What is Council Tax Benefit?
Council Tax Benefit is a state benefit to help you pay your Council Tax bill if you are on a low income. It does not matter if you already get a discount on your Council Tax, for example if you live alone. Depending on your income and family circumstances, you can get up to 100% off your Council Tax bill. We use any Council Tax Benefit granted to reduce your Council Tax bill.

Who can claim?
You can make a claim for Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or both if you or your partner:-

  • Are working or self employed and on a low income
  • In receipt of state benefits (eg Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support, Incapacity Benefit etc)
  • In receipt of Pension Credit
  • Pay rent to a Housing Association or other private landlord
  • Pay Council Tax to South Bucks District Council
  • Are sick or disabled
  • Have less than £16,000 (combined) savings, unless you are aged 60 and over and receive Guarantee Credit of Pension Credit.

How and when to claim?
Claim straightaway! If you delay, you may lose benefit. So if you are currently living in rented accommodation, or liable to pay Council Tax and you are on a low income you may be entitled to Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit. If you know that you are moving to a new address you can claim up to 13 weeks before you become entitled to Housing Benefit/ Council Tax Benefit. You will not normally receive any money before you move in.
If you claim Income Support / Jobseekers Allowance or Pension Credit, you will get a form to claim Housing Benefit with your pack.

If you do not claim Income Support / Jobseekers Allowance or Pension Credit, you can obtain an application form for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit from the Council. Alternatively you can download an application form.

No. File name File
size		 Estimated download time File
type
1 A claim form for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit 570 k 2.5min PDF Download A claim form for Housing Benefit and Council Tax

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How will your Benefit be paid?  
 Council Tax Benefit will be paid straight towards you Council Tax bill and any instalments you need to pay will be altered accordingly. Housing Benefit payments will be made either to yourself or your landlord either by BACS or crossed cheque.

What to do if your circumstances change?
If your circumstances change it may affect your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. You must therefore notify the Council's Benefits Section immediately.

No. File name File
size		 Estimated download time File
type
1 Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit Change of Circumstances Notification Form 145 k 1 min PDF Download Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit Change of Circumstances Notification Form

How to Contact us
If you require further information or you would like help completing the application form please contact the Benefits section at:-

South Bucks District Council
Capswood
Oxford Road
Denham
Bucks
UB9 4LH

or telephone the Benefits helpline on 01895 837515
alternatively you can email us at revenuesandbenefits@southbucks.gov.uk


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

  • How long will my claim take to be assessed?
  • Can I get help completing my application form?
  • How can I arrange a home visit?
  • How do you work out my benefit?
  • What if I am not happy with my benefit calculation?
  • How do you work out the maximum rent?
  • When will my benefits start?
  • Can my claim be backdated?
  • Can I get any extra help with my rent?
  • Can I find out how much Housing Benefit I will get before I move into a property?
  • What is the Rent Service and what do they do?
  • Can I appeal against the Rent Service's decision?
  • Can I apply for benefit if I am self employed?
  • What is an overpayment?
  • How will I know that I have been overpaid?
  • Why do overpayments happen?
  • What if I agree with the overpayment but can't afford to repay it all at once? 

Q. How long will my claim take to be assessed?  
 If all the relevant information is provided at the time the form is submitted we aim to assess the claim within 14 days.

Q. Can I get help completing my application form?
If you require help completing your application for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit please contact the Benefits service at:-

South Bucks District Council
Capswood
Oxford Road
Denham
Bucks
UB9 4LH

Telephone 01895 837515

Q. How can I arrange a home visit? 
 If you require a home visit please contact the Benefits service on 01895 837515 and we will make the necessary arrangements. Our visiting officers always carry proof of identity.

Q. How will you work out my benefit?
When we work out your benefit, we consider the following things:

  • How much money you have coming in
  • Your savings and investments
  • Your personal circumstances (for example, your age, how many children you have, whether you are disabled, whether you have other people living with you who do not depend on you for support)
  • The maximum rent for your property if you are applying for Housing Benefit)
  • The amount of your Council Tax if you are applying for Council Tax Benefit

Q. What if I am not happy with my benefit calculation?
If you are not happy with the way we have worked out your benefit, you can ask us to look at your claim again. If you want us to do this you must write to us within one month of the date of the letter telling you about our decision for benefit. If we do not change our decision, you may be able to appeal to an independent Appeals Tribunal. The tribunal can only look at the evidence, the law and the circumstances at the time we made the decision you are appealing against.

No. File name File
size		 Estimated download time File
type
1 Housing Benefit/ Council Tax Benefit Appeal 43k 38 secs PDF Housing Benefit/ Council Tax Benefit Appeal

Q. How do you work out the maximum rent?
The amount of Housing Benefit you get may not be the full amount of rent you are required to pay your landlord. You may not receive the full rent if we feel that:

  • Your rent is unreasonably high
  • Your home is too large for your needs
  • Your rent is higher than the average rent being charged for similar homes in the area
  • You are under 25 and living alone

To help us decide whether your rent is reasonable, we will ask the Rent Service to look at your home and decide on a rent, which they consider to be reasonable.

Q. When will my benefits start?
Your benefit will normally start on the Monday after we receive your claim. However if you receive Income Support or Income based Jobseekers Allowance, your benefit will start on the Monday after your Income Support or Jobseeker Allowance starts. This applies as long as we receive your application within four weeks of your claim for Income Support or Income based Jobseekers Allowance.

Q. Can my claim be backdated?
We will only consider backdating your claim for benefit if you can show us reasons for not claiming benefit sooner and that good reasons continued up to the time you made your claim. Not knowing that you could claim will not normally be considered as 'good reason'. However, not claiming because you were in hospital or had severe health problems or a close relative had died may be considered 'good reason'.

No. File name File
size		 Estimated download time File
type
1 Application For Backdated Benefit  36k 30 secs PDF Application for Backdated Benefit  

Q. Can I get any extra help with my rent? 
 If your Housing Benefit does not meet your full rent you can apply for additional help. This help is offered at the discretion of the Council and is not Housing Benefit. This help is called a Discretionary Housing Payment. You will be required to complete a separate application form requesting details of your income and expenditure.

Q. Can I find out how much Housing Benefit I will get before I move into a property?
If you have not yet moved into a private property, but need to find out how much benefit you could get if you did, you can ask for a Pre- Tenancy Determination. You will need to fill in the application form giving details about the property and confirming that you plan to claim Housing Benefit. The landlord will also need to sign the form. We will send the form to the Rent Service and ask them what the maximum rent will be for the property you have in mind. The Rent Service will tell you and us what this maximum rent will be. This is known as the Pre-Tenancy Determination.

Q. What is the Rent Service and what do they do?
If you make a claim for Housing Benefit for a private rented property, we will usually have to contact the local Rent Service so we can work out your benefit. The Rent Service, who are independent of the Council, will decide if your rent is reasonable and whether your property is the appropriate size for your needs. In some circumstances, the Rent Service may need to visit your home before they can tell us if your rent is reasonable. If the Rent Service needs to visit your home, they will contact you to make an appointment. When we work out your Housing Benefit, we must base it on the Rent Service's decision about whether your rent is reasonable.

Q. Can I appeal against the Rent Service's decision?
If you are not happy with the way the Rent Service assess your rent, you can appeal. You should write to us and we will ask the Rent Service to look at your rent again.

Q. Can I apply for benefit if I am self-employed?
You can apply for benefit if you are self-employed. To work out your benefit, we will need to see your latest accounts. If you do not have accounts, or have been trading for less than a year, we will need to see a summary of your accounts and the book you use everyday to keep a record of your business.

Q. What is an overpayment?
If you have been paid more Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit than you were entitled to - that is an overpayment. For example, if you have been paid £150, but were only entitled to £100, then you have had an overpayment of £50.

Q. How will I know that I have been overpaid?
If a "recoverable overpayment" of benefit happens, we will send you a letter explaining why there has been an overpayment. We will also tell you the amount of the overpayment, how it was worked out, the period to which it relates and how it will be claimed back.

Q. Why do overpayments happen?
Most overpayments happen because of a change in your circumstances, for example a change in your income, or the size of your family. Normally we will ask you to pay back the overpayment.

Occasionally, some overpayments may be caused by our error, or delays in acting on information. If this happens, we might not ask you to pay back the money. However, the rules covering this are complicated and special circumstances could apply to each case.

Q. What if I agree with the overpayment but can't afford to repay it all at once? 
 If you can't afford to pay back the money in one go, we may accept weekly payments.

If you no longer receive Housing Benefit, we will send you a bill. You can pay this by instalments, but you must arrange it with us first.

If you still receive Housing Benefit, we may collect the overpayment by reducing the amount of the cheque sent to you or your landlord. If extra rent becomes payable, you will have to pay this.