Housing Benefit

Housing benefit has been replaced by Universal Credit in Wiltshire, which is handled directly by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). However, where there are specific circumstances, housing benefit can still be claimed via your local council, as they are best placed to understand where these situations apply.

Making a claim, notifying us of changes, or providing evidence

When making a claim, notifying us of changes, or providing evidence, you must include your claim reference number or National Insurance number in your correspondence. Any email attachments should total less than 10mb in size.

GOV.UK - Housing Benefit (opens new window) explains eligibility for housing benefit. But, broadly, in Wiltshire, new housing benefit claims can only be considered if one of the following criteria applies:

• you and your partner are of state pension age; or
• you are living in specified accommodation or temporary accommodation (the Housing Benefit Team will determine if this is the case)

There is a tool on entitledto.co.uk (an independent body) that will help you find out what benefits you may be entitled to. It is only an estimate based on the information you supply.

Benefits calculator (entitledto.co.uk) (opens new window)

If you believe you may be eligible for housing benefit, go to: Claiming benefits.

If you believe you may be eligible for housing benefit, you can make a claim using our online form:

Wiltshire Benefits Online - Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (opens new window)

The application form can also be used if you are already receiving Housing Benefit and have been asked to complete a review form.

Providing evidence to support your claim

On completion of our online form, make sure you read the evidence checklist in the housing benefit download section. This details the information you need to provide to support your new claim, and it must be provided within one month. Delay in providing this evidence will delay your payment.

A full list of the documents we may ask for can be found in our council tax reduction and housing benefit evidence factsheet (OpenDocument text format, 527 KB)(opens new window)

You can contact us by email or by post with your evidence. You must include your claim reference number or National Insurance number with your evidence, and any email attachments should total less than 10mb in size.

Contact the benefits team

We can only accept original evidence of identification; this can't be sent via email.

If you are a private tenant, we will use the Local Housing Allowance (gov.uk) (opens new window) to decide the maximum amount of Housing Benefit that we can pay you. It is based on the location and size of accommodation you require, rather than the rent that is being charged. The amount of Housing Benefit you will receive will depend on the LHA rate that is applied after also taking into account your financial and household circumstances.

Use the LHA website to help you:

• find out how the scheme works (opens new window)
• calculate how many bedrooms your family is entitled to (opens new window)
• see the current LHA rates for any area of the country (opens new window)

Circumstances where the LHA does not apply:

• you live in a property which is owned by the council
• you are a tenant of a Registered Social Landlord (this includes most housing associations)
• you live in supported housing
• your tenancy started before 15 January 1989
• you live in a caravan, houseboat or hostel
• the amount of Housing Benefit we will pay you is based upon your individual circumstances, so the actual amount you receive may be less than the LHA figure

The amount of Housing Benefit you receive will depend on your personal circumstances, including your income, savings, who else lives in your household and the level of your rent.

Spare bedrooms

The amount of Housing Benefit you get could be reduced if you have one or more spare bedrooms. For people aged between 16 and Pension Credit eligibility age, if you are assessed as having at least one extra bedroom in your house, your housing benefit could be reduced (opens new window).

Housing Benefit payment

If you're a council tenant, any Housing Benefit will be paid direct to your rent account. As a housing association tenant, you can receive your Housing Benefit direct to your bank, four-weekly in arrears, or, you can opt for payments to be made direct to your landlord.

Tell us immediately if something changes

If there are any changes in your household or personal circumstances after you make an application for housing benefit and/or council tax reduction, you must contact us immediately - don't rely on someone else to tell us.

Contact the benefits team

The easiest way is to call, as we'll be able to tell you if we need you to send evidence of the change, or if we can change your claim without needing anything else. You can, however, email or write to us by post.

If you need to provide evidence

If you need to provide evidence, after reporting change of circumstance, you will need to Contact the benefits team to provide your evidence by email or post.

You must include your claim reference number or National Insurance number, and any email attachments must total less than 10mb in size.

What you need to do

If your claim has been selected for review, you will receive a letter from us asking you to provide information in order to enable us to confirm that you benefit is correctly assessed.

Every part of your claim must be reviewed and updated, even if nothing has changed. You need to provide evidence to support the information you provide. This can be emailed to: benefits@wiltshire.gov.uk. If you email your documents, please ensure that you quote your name and claim reference.

You will need to provide:

• confirmation of the full names and dates of birth of everyone resident at this address.
• evidence of all income for yourself, your partner and any non-dependents who live in your property.  Please also note the following:
  • if you and/or your partner are self-employed, you will need to contact us to request a self-employed income form.
• evidence of any occupational/private pensions you hold including any that you have deferred receiving payment from.   
• bank statements covering the last 2 months for all bank, building society and Post Office accounts held by you and your partner. Please also provide proof of any other capital held.
  • If you or your partner are receiving one of the following benefits, you do not need to provide bank statements unless we ask you to provide them at a later date:-
    •   Employment Support Allowance (Income Related); or
    •   Universal Credit: or
    •   Guarantee Pension Credit
• proof of your rent

You must complete your review within one month of receiving your letter requesting the review. If you do not, your claim may be suspended and further Housing Benefit payments might not be made.    

If you have any difficulties with the review, please do not hesitate to Contact the benefits team.

If housing benefit or the housing element of universal credit does not meet the full value of your rent, we may be able to award a Discretionary Housing Payment. You can only apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment if you receive housing benefit or the housing element of universal credit.

The Discretionary Housing Payments scheme has a limited amount of money each year, and is therefore only awarded to customers with special circumstances. To find out more about the Discretionary Housing Payment, see our Discretionary Housing Payment Policy (OpenDocument text format, 30 KB)(opens new window).

If you want to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment, you will need to complete our Discretionary Housing Payment Application Form (OpenDocument text format, 42 KB)(opens new window). If you receive the housing element of universal credit, you will still need to complete the form.

When we have dealt with your claim for housing benefit, we will send you a benefit decision notice. This notice will show the information we have used to work out your benefit. You should check this notice carefully. If you do not understand the notice, you should contact us immediately.

Contact the benefits team

If you think that the decision is wrong, you should Contact the benefits team in writing within one calendar month of the date of the decision notice and ask us to reconsider the decision. You should also set out why you think that the decision is wrong. We will then review the decision and send you a new decision notice either confirming or amending the original decision.

If you wish to appeal to the Independent Appeals Tribunal, you must Contact the benefits team in writing within one calendar month of the date of the original decision notice, or, if you have already asked for a reconsideration, within one calendar month of the new decision notice. Any appeal must be completed in writing and must set out the reasons why you think the decision is wrong. Be aware that it may be some months before your appeal is heard by the Independent Appeals Tribunal.

If you are still receiving housing benefit, the overpayment will be taken from your future housing benefit payments at a set rate. If you are not in receipt of housing benefit, you can pay it back online (opens new window). Please have your invoice number with you. For other methods of payment, see the back of your invoice.

If you are having difficulty paying the housing benefit overpayment, don't ignore it - Contact the benefits team.

We use the information you give us to process your claim for housing benefit, council tax reduction, or both.

We may check some of the information with other sources within the council, the Valuation Office Agency, other councils and government agencies, such as The Department for Work and Pensions, HM Revenues and Customs and the Home Office.

We may also get information about you from certain other organisations, or give them information about you. We do this to:

• ensure the information is accurate
• prevent or detect crime
• protect public funds

These organisations include government departments, other local authorities, and private sector organisations such as banks and organisations that may lend you money. 

Ensure you Contact the benefits team to advise of any changes that may affect your claim. The council may pursue the collection of overpaid amounts through external bodies if necessary.

If you have concerns about someone committing fraud, contact GOV.UK: Report Benefit fraud (opens new window).

Universal Credit

Universal Credit is a streamlined welfare system in England that provides financial support to individuals and families. It replaces various benefits and tax credits, including:

• Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Income Support
• Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA)
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Working Tax Credit

Universal Credit is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), find out more here: Universal Credit.

Council Tax Reduction

Council Tax Reduction (CTR) is a financial support scheme put in place to help individuals and families who are struggling to pay their council tax bills. Find out more: Council tax reduction (CTR).

Local Welfare Provision

The Local Welfare Provision (LWP) scheme provides critical short-term help and assistance to support people in crisis. Find out more: Help in a crisis