Overlapping Housing Benefit

Please tell us what you think about our website, we welcome your feedback.

Customer notice

Due to essential maintenance some of our web services will be unavailable between these times 7pm Friday 25 May and 5pm Sunday 27 May 2012.

In case of any emergencies please see our Facebook or Twitter pages.

Housing Benefit can normally only be paid on one property at a time even if you are liable to pay the rent on more than one property.

However if you have moved into a new property but still have to pay rent for your old property and your landlord requires you to give notice it might be possible for us to pay Housing Benefit on both properties. This is called overlapping Housing Benefit.

Please note:

We cannot pay Housing Benefit on your new property until you have actually moved into it permanently (unless the building is being adapted for disabilities, or you are waiting for a social fund loan to enable you to move in).

Housing Benefit can be paid to cover a maximum four week notice period at the old property even if your dual liability exceeds that period.

Any notice period you must give on the old property must be genuine, you must have a legally enforceable liability to pay rent, which a court would recognise and enforce.

If the landlord of your old property re-lets the accommodation before any notice period ends we will not pay overlapping Housing Benefit after the date the property is re-let.

Each application for overlapping benefit will be decided on its own merits. You will need to demonstrate that you have taken all reasonable steps to avoid taking on two liabilities at the same time. As such it is extremely unlikely that payment on two properties will be made where the same landlord owns both properties.

Please contact your local Housing Benefit team for more information.

How can I claim overlapping Housing Benefit?

You will need to complete an  Application for overlap of Housing Benefit application for overlap of Housing Benefit 28kb , contact your local housing benefit office to request a form in the post or visit your local office.

Please return this form to the Revenues & Benefits department of your local Wiltshire Council office:

North	South	East	West
Wiltshire Council Monkton Park Chippenham Wiltshire SN15 1ER Tel: 01249 706122	Wiltshire Council 27-29 Milford Street Salisbury Wiltshire SP1 2AP Tel: 01722 434483	Wiltshire Council Browfort Bath Road Devizes Wiltshire SN10 2AT Tel: 01380 734736	Wiltshire Council Bradley Road Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 0RD Tel: 01225 770341

Last updated: 23 January 2012