What is Housing Benefit?
Housing Benefit is help towards rent for the claimant's home, for households on a low income.
If your tenant can claim Universal Credit
People who are eligible to claim Universal Credit for help with their housing costs are not allowed to make a new claim for Housing Benefit. Your tenant can only claim Housing Benefit to help with their rent if they are not eligible to claim Universal Credit.
Universal Credit is paid by the government, not by us. Read the government’s Universal Credit guide for landlords to find out how this affects you and your tenant.
If your tenant can’t claim Universal Credit
If your tenant is not eligible for Universal Credit (for example, if they are a pensioner), then they can apply for Housing Benefit to help with their rent. Housing Benefit is paid by us. It can be paid to people renting a whole property, or a room or rooms within a property.
It cannot be paid to someone who:
- rents from a close relative who lives in the same house
- owns their home or has a mortgage
Your tenant does not have to tell you that they have claimed benefit.
What information is needed from landlords?
All private tenants who claim benefit have to provide proof of their rent. It will help to speed up their claim if you give them evidence which shows:
- the landlord’s name and business address
- the letting agent’s name and address, if applicable
- the date that the tenancy agreement started
- the amount of rent charged for the property
- what is included in the rent, e.g. fuel, water, meals
- how often the rent is due, e.g. weekly, monthly, four weekly, etc.
Contact us
Email: benefits@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 300 8306
Please quote your tenant’s benefit claim reference if you know it – your tenant’s claim reference is either an 8 digit number starting with 900, or a 5 digit number. You can find it on any letter we’ve sent about your tenant’s Housing Benefit or on your regular Landlord Payment Schedules.