A Guide to Housing and Council Tax Benefit

We help people on a low income pay their rent and council tax. You do not need to be out of work or receiving social security benefits to get help.

You can claim if:

• you are on a low income
• you have less than £16,000 in capital or savings and we do not count any capital under £6,000.
• you live in the home you pay rent or council tax for

You cannot claim if:

• you do not have a rent or Council Tax liability
• you have over £16,000 in savings and capital

Special rules apply to the following people who apply for housing and council tax benefit:

• students
• people who have to go through immigration control
• people in hospital
• prisoners
• people in residential care and nursing homes
• young people aged 16 or 17
• people who have to maintain two homes

Even where special rules apply, you could still be entitled to housing benefit or council tax benefit. To find out if you are entitled you should claim. For more details about how to claim, click on the link on the left under Main Menu.

Housing Benefit

You can claim housing benefit if you live in a home you pay rent for. This includes renting from a private landlord, a Housing Association, the council or if you live in a hotel or hostel.

There are some service charges included in your rent that housing benefit cannot pay for such as water rates or your personal gas, electricity or phone bill.

If you rent from the council and need help with your rent, we can generally pay benefit up to the full amount of your rent less a deduction for other people who live with you and certain service charges.

If you rent from a private landlord and need help with your rent, we ask a rent officer to decide if the rent your landlord charges you is fair. The rent officer may make a decision that the rent you are being charged is too high. If this happens we can only pay benefit up to the amount that the rent officer decides less a deduction for other people who live with you and certain service charges.

You can ask a rent officer to make a decision about a rent before you sign a tenancy agreement or move in. To do this you need to complete a form and send it to the rent officer, this is called a pre-tenancy determination.

To download a pre-tenancy determination application form, click on the link at the bottom of the page under Downloadable Documents.

Local Housing Allowance

From 7 April 2008, the way housing benefit is calculated for some claimants will change. The new benefit will be called Local Housing Allowance (LHA).

If you rent a property from a private landlord you will be affected by the change if you either

• make a new claim for housing benefit
• currently claim housing benefit but move address
• have a break in your claim of at least one week

For more details, click on the Local Housing Allowance link on the left under Main Menu.

Council Tax Benefit

You can claim council tax benefit if you live in a home that you pay council tax for.

There are two different schemes that can help you pay your council tax, you cannot get council tax benefit and second adult rebate at the same time.

Main council tax benefit - you may be entitled to this benefit if you are on a low income

Second adult rebate - you may be entitled to this benefit if you are not on a low income. It is not based on the money you have, but on the money other people who live with you have. You cannot claim second adult rebate if you are married or have a partner who lives with you.

For more details about council tax, click on the link on the right under Related Information.

How to Claim

For more details, click on the How to Claim link on the left under Main Menu.

How Much Can You Get

We can pay up to the full amount that you are charged for rent or council tax.

The amount of benefit paid depends on:

• the income and capital of the claimant and partner
• the circumstances of the household (such as children, disabilities and age)
• whether any one else lives in the household
• whether there are any rent officer restrictions to your rent

For a guide to your entitlement, click on the Benefit Calculator link on the left under Main Menu. Please note that the calculation is only a guide and is not a decision.

To get a decision about your entitlement you should claim, for more details, click on the How to Claim link on the left under Main Menu.

Where to Find Out More Details

For answers to Frequently Asked Questions click the link on the right under Do It Online.

For more details about housing and council tax benefits in English and other languages, click on the Benefit Leaflets link on the right under Useful Websites.

For more details about the Rent Service click on the link on the right under Useful Websites.

Where to Get Help

You can always contact us for help and advice. Click on the Contact Us link on the left under Main Menu for more details about how to contact us.

For a helpful contact list, click on the link at the bottom of the page under downloadable documents.

How to Comment on Our Service

You should contact us. We would like to know what you think about this website, or about the service we provide to you. For more details, click on the How to Contact us link on the left under Main Menu or email us benefits.service@islington.gov.uk