Benefits
Housing and Council Tax Benefits
Housing and Council Tax Benefits are national, means-tested welfare benefits. The purpose of the Housing Benefit scheme is to help people who have a low-income pay their rent. The Council Tax Benefit scheme provides help with Council Tax charges. From April 2008, the Government introduced the Local Housing Allowance which will affect most private tenants.
Starting from 1 April 2011, over the next few years the DWP are making major changes to Local Housing Allowance arrangements, including how LHA rates are worked out; if you are already claiming Housing Benefit, these changes are likely to affect the amount of money you get.
Making a claim
- Who can claim?
- How to claim
- How much could you claim?
- What period will your claim run for?
- Backdating
- Second Adult Rebate
- Students
Calculating and Paying Housing and Council Tax benefit
- How your benefit entitlement is worked out
- How your benefit will be paid
- What you do if you disagree with our decision
- What changes of circumstances you must report
- Housing Benefit Overpayments
Important news about Housing Benefit changes from January 2012 for single people aged 25 to 34 who rent from a private landlord
The Government is making changes to the way Housing Benefit is calculated for those who are single and aged 25 to 34 and rent from a private landlord. If this applies to you read this new leaflet changes for single people 25 to 35 to find out what is changing, and what you need to do now.
The National Benefit website
The National benefit website, gives you general advice and guidance on Housing and Council Tax Benefits. The leaflets on the site may answer your benefit questions. The national benefit leaflets can be translated into the following languages:
Polish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Somali, Urdu and Vietnamese.
Dartford Borough Council's Helpful Advice Leaflets
- A guide for working age people
- A guide for pensioners
- Can my claim be back dated?
- Changes you need to tell us about
- A guide for self-employed people
- Extra help towards your rent and Council tax
- What do I do if I disagree with your decision?
- What happens when I have paid too much?
- A guide for landlords
Extra help
- Discretionary Housing Payment
- Extended Payments
- Reporting Benefit Fraud
- Check your Benefit Account
- National benefit leaflet
The method by which payment of benefit is made depends on the type of claim you have. Housing Benefit for Council tenants will be paid direct to their rent accounts.
Private tenants are paid by BACS to themselves or direct to their landlord/housing association. Council Tax Benefit is credited directly to your Council Tax account.
Most tenants who rent their accommodation from private landlords (except housing association tenants and certain other tenants) will have their rent referred to the Rent Service, before their Housing Benefit is calculated.
The Rent Service looks at the accommodation that is being rented and makes an independent valuation of the rent. Housing Benefit is awarded based on the Rent Service's assessment of the rent.
