Campaigns & issues

Housing Benefit:
Help with paying your rent

Your landlord won’t reduce your rent‚ but Housing Benefit might. It provides extra money for your rent bills and some service charges like lifts and communal laundry facilities.

The Department for Work and Pensions estimates that up to 310‚000 pensioners fail to claim Housing Benefit worth £660 million a year.

You could be one of those many pensioners who are paying far more rent than they need to.

Would I qualify?

• You must have responsibility for paying the rent
• If you are a couple‚ only one of you can claim it
• You cannot usually be living in a close relative’s household
• You need to have no more than £16‚000 in savings unless you get Guarantee Credit (page 6); in which case‚ there is no savings limit and your rent is likely to be fully covered by the benefit. The main exception would be if you have someone living with you‚ e.g. a grown up son or daughter‚ who is expected to contribute to the rent

You can get a claim form by phoning the Housing and Council Tax Benefit section of your local council or by visiting the Department for Work and Pensions website.

If you are claiming Pension Credit you can claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit in the one call.

Age Concern can help and advise you. Contact your local Age Concern today.