Discretionary Housing Payment

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are extra payments we can give you if your housing benefit or Council Tax benefit is less than the full amount of your rent or council tax.

We cannot give a DHP to cover the cost of things included in your rent, like fuel, water or food charges and we cannot pay more than your full eligible rent or council tax charges.

We only have a limited budget for DHP which is set by the Government, once this is used up we may not be able to offer extra help.

Who Can Apply

If you get housing benefit you can apply for a DHP to help pay your rent.

If you get council tax benefit you can apply for a DHP to help pay your Council Tax.

How to Apply

You can contact us, we will tell you what to do. Click on the link in the main menu for details of how to contact us.

You can download and print an application form that you can fill in and return to us. Click on the link found at the bottom of this page under Downloadable Documents.

When we receive your application form we will write to you if you need to provide more information. We may ask you to give us information that you have not had to give us before, like utility bills or proof of what you spend. If we write to you, you should provide the information we ask for within one month of the date we asked for it.

How We Decide if You Can Have a DHP

Not all applications are paid, we look at each case individually. We must be satisfied that you need more help with your housing costs.

We look at things like:

• your total income
• whether you have any savings
• whether anyone else in the house is able to help financially
• whether you have any loans or debts still to pay
• whether your day to day living expenses are reasonable
• whether you could rearrange your finances to ease the situation
• whether you or your family have any special circumstances, like ill health or disability

How Much You Can Get

If your application is successful, how much you can get depends on your circumstances. We can pay up to but not more than your full rent or council tax charges.

We will set a time period for how long we will pay. How long we pay for depends on each individual's circumstances but will never exceed 26 weeks.

At the end of the payment period, you can re-apply using the application form found at the bottom of this page and we will once again consider your circumstances.

How We Can Pay a DHP 

If your application is successful, we will usually pay your DHP with any housing benefit or council tax benefit payments that you get, although DHPs are not payments or awards of housing benefit or council tax benefit.

If your Circumstances Change

If your circumstances change, you must tell us, in writing, within one month.

We will then look at the DHP we awarded and see whether it needs to be changed, we might be able to pay you more DHP. But, if we think you should get less, you might have to pay back some or all of the DHP we have paid.

How to Disagree With the Amount or Period of the DHP 

If you disagree with our decision, you should write to us within one month of the date of the letter telling you about the DHP.

We will look at your application again and write to you with our decision.

Where to Get Help

You can contact us, click on the link in the main menu for details about how to contact us.

You can contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or Welfare Rights Service. Click on the link under Useful Websites to find contact details for the Citizens Advice Bureau and Islington Peoples Rights Service.

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. Click on the link on the left under Main Menu for our contact details or email us benefits.service@islington.gov.uk