Discretionary Housing Payments

What are Discretionary Housing Payments?

If you make a claim for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit, you may not qualify for full help towards paying your rent and/or Council Tax.  In these circumstances, the Council may be able to make an award of Discretionary Housing Payments to provide further help.  These payments are separate to those for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit, but you must be entitled to at lease one of those Benefits to be considered for an award of Discretionary Housing Payments.

How do I apply for an award of Discretionary Housing Payment?

To be considered for an award of Discretionary Housing Payments, you can complete and return a request form (available from the Benefits Service). Alternatively, you can write to the Benefits Service with your full request.

What will I need to tell you?

When you complete your request form (or write your letter) we will need to know:

• Why you think you should get an additional payment towards your rent/Council Tax payments.
• Details of any special circumstances you think we should be aware of
• Details of any action you have taken to help yourself
• Details of anything else you think may help us to make a decision
• Details of all the money you have coming into your household
• Details of Proof of all the money you pay out each week (for example your gas bill or electric bill).
• Bank statements covering the past two months for each account held by yourself and your partner (if you have one)

You should tell us as much as you can so that we fully understand your situation.

Your request may be delayed if you do not supply full evidence of your expenditure or your bank statements.

When you have completed and returned your request form/letter and your supporting information, we will consider all aspects of your circumstances before a decision is made. We may wish to visit you in your home or ask you to come into the Council Offices to discuss your application further.

How will you make a decision about whether I can get an award of Discretionary Housing Payments?

We will look at all requests for Discretionary Housing Payments.

There is no list of circumstances that will automatically mean that you will qualify for a payment of Discretionary Housing Payments. Each request will be considered on its own merits but you will need to show that you do not have the means to pay the shortfall in your rent or Council Tax yourself. Wherever it is possible and reasonable to do so, you will be expected to take steps to improve the circumstances that have led to the need for an award of Discretionary Housing Payments e.g. finding more suitable accommodation.

Can Discretionary Housing Payments cover all costs?

Discretionary Housing Payments cannot be awarded to pay for any of the following:

• Ineligible service or support charges
• Any rent you have to pay if you only qualify for Council Tax Benefit
• Any Council Tax you have to pay if you only qualify for Housing Benefit or Second Adult Rebate
• Increases in your rent to cover rent arrears
• Reductions in any benefit as a result of failing to co-operate with the Child Support Agency, failing to participate in a work focused interview or for misconduct where the Department of Work and Pensions has reduced payments of Jobseekers Allowance
• Amounts of or Council Tax Benefit that have been suspended

How much money can I get?

An award of Discretionary Housing Payment will be paid at our discretion, but it will not pay more than the difference between your weekly rent or Council Tax liability and your amount of Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. For example, if your eligible rent is £50.00 per week and your entitlement to Housing Benefit is £45.00 the maximum Discretionary Housing Payment you can get is £5.00 per week.

The money we get to award Discretionary Housing Payments comes directly from the Government and is strictly limited for each year. Each award of Discretionary Housing Payment will therefore provide additional help for a limited period only, usually 6 months at the most, after which time the award will end.

If you are given an award of Discretionary Housing Payment and we later find out you should not have been entitled to it, we will ask you to repay the money.

What if you turn my request down?

You have no appeal against any decisions we make about awarding Discretionary Housing Payments. However, if you write to us within a month of the date we notified you of our decision, we will consider whether our decision should be revised or not. If the decision cannot be revised, you have no further right of appeal.