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Housing benefit

Last updated on: 23-April-2019

1. Overview

Housing Benefit helps you pay your rent if you are on a low income.

To qualify for Housing Benefit you must be:

Paying rent
A tenant living in council property, privately-rented accommodation (the allowance for these tenants is known as Local Housing Allowance and the rates are set separately), hostels or housing association accommodation.
Living in the property as your home.

When we work out the amount of Housing Benefit you're entitled to we look at:

How much money you have coming in
Your personal circumstances and the amount of rent you have to pay. If you rent from a private landlord take a look at Local Housing Allowance.
The amount of savings you have (more than £16,000 will normally disqualify you).
If you have lodgers, grown-up children or relatives living with you your benefit may be reduced. This is because the Government consider that other adults should contribute to the household. The amount of the contribution depends on their age and income.

You'll need to remember Housing Benefit cannot help with mortgage payments. If you need help with this you can get information from the Money Advice Service.