Housing benefit information for landlords

What if your tenant doesn’t pay their rent?

It is your tenant's responsibility to pay their rent, not the council's.

If we have paid the claimant (your tenant), we cannot pay Housing Benefit for the same period to you, even if your tenant has not passed the money on to you. You will need to make an arrangement with your tenant for them to clear their arrears. We cannot intervene in disputes about existing rent arrears.

To prevent your tenant building up further rent arrears, we can sometimes pay their Housing Benefit to you. Please let us know straight away if any of the following apply:

  • your tenant is vulnerable, unable to manage their finances, or may lose their tenancy
  • you have previously had your tenant’s Housing Benefit paid to you because of their rent arrears
  • deductions are being made from your tenant’s benefits, to cover previous rent arrears
  • your tenant is more than 8 weeks in arrears with their rent

We may suspend your tenant’s Housing Benefit payments whilst we decide whether to pay their benefit directly to you.

Contact us

Telephone: 0300 300 8306
Email: benefits@centralbedfordshire.gov.ukempty

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.