Making a housing benefit claim

Find out more on getting help with your rent and how to apply for housing benefit.

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Making a housing benefit claim

Housing Benefit can help you pay for your rent if you’re unemployed, on a low income or claiming benefits.

You can only make a new claim for housing benefit if either of the following apply:
 
  • you have reached State Pension age
  • you're in supported, sheltered or temporary housing
Apply for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support online here 

If these circumstances do not apply to you, you will need to claim Universal Credit  for help with your rent instead.
You can make a new claim housing benefit if:
  • you have reached State Pension age
  • you're living in supported, sheltered or temporary housing
If not, you’ll need to claim Universal Credit instead.
 
You can use our benefits calculator to give you an instant estimate of what you could claim. The calculator will only give an estimate and may not be the exact amount you would receive.

You will need to provide:
  • details of your income
  • details of your capital (bank/savings accounts)
  • the amount of rent you pay
  • the amount of council tax you pay
If you rent privately you would receive local housing allowance.  

This is based on  
These rates are set by the Valuation Office Agency. 

You can view the current local housing allowance rates here



 

To claim housing benefit you can either:


You must provide original documents to support your claim. We need documents for both claimants and, if applicable, partners.

Photocopies are not accepted and originals will be returned.
 

Help to complete your form
You can contact us on 0345 600 6400. 
 

Related documents

CEO Directive on electronic claiming

War Pensions disregard policy

Discretionary housing payment policy

Overpayments policy

Apply online for Council Tax Support here

Council tax support and second adult rebate are available to help you pay for your council tax.

Support for all working age claimants (18 to state retirement pension age) has reduced by 8% to a maximum level of 92%.


Click here for further details on Council Tax support
 

Backdating

If you’ve had a delay in applying for benefits, you can sometimes get them backdated.

What is backdating?

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support is usually awarded from the Monday after we receive your claim or application.  

Sometimes we can start your award from an earlier date. This is called backdating.
 
How long we can backdate your award for depends if your application is for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support and if you are working-age or pension-age. 
 
You'll usually have to show good reason for not making your claim or application earlier.
 
This is called continuous good cause.

What may count as continuous good cause?

  • becoming ill and no-one else could claim for you
  • awaiting a decision for another benefit
  • receiving incorrect advice by an official
  • English is not your first language
  • difficulty understanding documents
  • delay after leaving hospital, prison or long-term care
These are only some examples, there may be other good reasons. 
You'll usually have to supply information and evidence in support of the reasons you give.

What will not normally count as continuous good cause?

Examples could include:
  • not knowing you could make a claim or application
  • not knowing how to make a claim or application

Housing Benefit backdating

If you're working-age and we are satisfied you have continuous good cause, your award could be backdated for up to a maximum of one month.
 
If you're pension-age, your award could be backdated for up to a maximum of three months. 
You do not have to show continuous good cause, but you must have met the eligibility conditions throughout that period.

Council Tax Support backdating

If you're working-age and we are satisfied you have continuous good cause, your award could be backdated for up to a maximum of six months.

If you're pension-age, your award could be backdated for up to a maximum of three months. 
You do not have to show continuous good cause, but you must have met the eligibility conditions throughout that period.

How to apply

Email: benefits@northumberland.gov.uk

Write to us at:
Benefits Section
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
NE61 2EF
 
Telephone: 0345 600 6400 (Monday to Thursday, 8:30am to 5pm and Friday, 8:30am to 4pm)

Visit: find your local customer service information centre
Good cause is a reason that prevented you from claiming benefit earlier. We look at each cause individually, and may include the following:
  • You were ill and no-one else could claim for you.
  • You were waiting for a decision on other benefits.
  • You were given incorrect advice by an official organisation.
  • You did not understand you could claim because of your age.
  • You have language difficulties.
  • You have difficulty understanding technical documents.
  • You did not claim immediately after leaving hospital, prison or long-term care.
  • You were not able to manage your own affairs and received no help.
  • A close relative died.
These examples are a guide only and are not a list of all possible reasons. If you forgot to claim, or did not know how to, this would not be a valid reason on its own.

Appealing against your benefit decision

There are different ways in which you can appeal.

 You can:
  • ask us to explain our decision (statement of reason)
  • ask us to look at your claim again (revision or reconsideration)
  • appeal against our decision
Only a person affected by our decision can appeal. This includes:
  • the claimant
  • a court-appointed person acting on behalf of the claimant
  • someone who the council agrees is appointed to act on behalf of the claimant
  • a landlord – but only in matters relating to who payment of benefits is to be made
  • an agent – but only in matters relating to who payment of benefits is to be made
  • any person from who it is determined an overpayment is to be recovered
A person affected can ask us to provide a written statement of reason explaining how we reached our decision. This should be requested within one month of the date the decision was made.

The statement of reason does not affect your right to appeal. We aim to provide a statement within 14 days, so far as this is practicable. 
A person affected can ask for a revision or reconsideration of their decision by writing to:
Benefit Department
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Northumberland
NE61 2EF
 
You must write and ask within one month of the decision notice.
 
You may also complete and return a revision request form

A new officer will look at the original decision. You may be asked for more information which you must provide within one month.
 
We will aim to provide a reply within 14 days, so far as this is practicable.
If you still do not agree with our decision, you may be able to appeal to HM Courts and Tribunals Service, who are independent of the council and Department of Work and Pensions.

A judge will look at your case and make a decision.

The appeal request must be in writing and sent to us within one month of the date on the decision notification letter.

Benefit Section
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF
HM Courts and Tribunals Service will write to you with details of the hearing. You will be asked if you want to attend the hearing or if you want the tribunal to consider the case in your absence.

If you, or the council, feel this decision is wrong in law, they can seek leave to appeal to the upper tribunal.

Important note
The amount of benefit payable is a matter between the council and claimant.

Only the tenant can ask the council to review the amount of benefit payable.

If the council reduces a tenant’s benefit to recover overpayment for a previous address, the landlord cannot appeal against this.

 

Housing benefit change of circumstances

It is crucial that you inform of us of any changes in circumstances. These changes can relate to yourself, or another member of your household.

We must be notified within one month of the change to ensure you don’t lose money you are entitled to, or receive too much money that you will have to pay back.

Please see below for our benefits calculator:

How to report a change of circumstances:


By post
If you need to notify us of a change of circumstances: If you receive Housing Benefit from Northumberland Council and are moving within the Northumberland area, you can fill out a change of address form:

To ensure your change in circumstances is processed as soon as possible your form should be posted to:

Benefit Section
Northumberland County Council
County Hall
Morpeth
Northumberland
NE61 2EF


It is important you provide us with the original evidence that supports your change in circumstances where appropriate, for example, pay slips, bank statements or birth certificates.

Photocopies are not accepted and originals will be returned
 

If you require further help or information, please phone 0345 600 6400 (charged at your local rate).

Examples of changes you must tell us about: 

Changes to your income
You need to tell us if:
  • you, or anyone living with you, gets a job (regardless of working hours), changes their job, or leaves their job
  • ​you start or stop getting income support, jobseekers' allowance, employment support allowance
  • you start or stop getting tax credits
  • the money you or your partner gets increases or decreases
  • the money non-dependants get increases or decreases
  • there are any other changes in the money people in your home get
Changes in your home
You need to tell us if:
  • you change your address
  • the number of people in your home changes
  • anyone moves into or out of your home (including lodgers/sub-tenants)
  • ​your rent changes, your landlord changes, or moves
Other changes
You need to tell us if:
  • you, or your partner, go into hospital for more than six weeks
  • you, or your partner, become a student, or stop being a student
  • the amount of savings or capital you have changes
  • ​any of your children leave school or home
  • someone starts to receive Universal Credit
PLEASE NOTE: In all cases, it is your duty to notify us of any changes in your circumstances. Do not rely on someone else to pass the message on.

Reporting benefit fraud

People who deliberately claim benefits they are not entitled to are committing a criminal offence. If a landlord, who is paid housing benefit directly, fails to notify the council their tenant has left the property, they may be committing benefit fraud.

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