This fact sheet provides basic information on housing benefit claims and how to avoid rent arrears whilst your claim is processed

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1 Housing Benefit This fact sheet provides basic information on housing benefit claims and how to avoid rent arrears whilst your claim is processed HOW DO I CLAIM HOUSING BENEFIT? Housing benefit is paid by your local council and you can make a claim at your local office. It can be done through the Job Centre, if you are claiming another benefit like Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance but is advisable to get a form from your local Housing Benefit office as well. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY RENT ACCOUNT WHILST I AM WAITING FOR HOUSING BENEFIT CLAIM TO BE PROCESSED? Arrears can very quickly build up whilst you are waiting for your Housing Benefit claim to be processed. Unfortunately not all tenants are successful in obtaining the housing benefit they are expecting and this will result in rent arrears. This can be very stressful and non-payment of rent can put your home at risk. If you are claiming Housing Benefit for the first time or your claim has been suspended it is really important that you respond promptly to any requested information for the Housing Benefit department or ourselves this includes making agreed rent payments. We will ask you to contact the Housing Benefit department within 7 days of your claim being made/ or being suspended to find the answers to the following questions? Has my claim for Housing Benefit been received? If so, what date will be the claim start date? Have I requested a backdated claim, if so, from what date? Have I supplied sufficient information to allow this to be considered? Have I been transferred over to Universal Credit? Have I supplied all information to allow the claim to be processed? If no, what additional information are you waiting for, what is the cut-off date for this information to be provided? What rental charge are you basing the claim on? Do I have any outstanding Over Payments of Housing Benefit i.e. money that the Housing Benefit department has decided I owe and need to pay back to them for future awards? How is this likely to be recovered? How much per week will be recovered? Please can I have a trial calculation for on-going entitlements? This will help me manage my money and not get into debt and risk losing my home Can I have an interim payment whilst you are finishing my claim? (See later on within this factsheet) August 2015

2 It is really important to try and get all these questions answered make it clear that you want to prevent any rent arrears, council tax debt, overpayments of Housing Benefit. We will then ask you to contact us again in 7 days with the answers and details of your proposed rent payments. Please us the details, or it you prefer to telephone us, contact us when you have the time to talk to us, as this could be a lengthy call as we need to agree the next step and any repayment arrangements whilst we wait for your claim to be assessed. WHAT INFORMATION WOULD I NEED TO PROVIDE, TO SUPPORT MY CLAIM? Important - only original documents can be accepted as proof, photocopies will not be accepted. This is only a guide, you should check with your local authority as evidence needed may vary. EVIDENCE OF IDENTITY - AT LEAST TWO TYPES (NEW CLAIMANTS ONLY) Evidence of identity can include: UK passport (current and valid) UK residence permit Birth certificate Divorce or annulment papers Medical card Driving licence EC identity card Marriage certificate National Insurance number card Recent household bill EVIDENCE OF YOUR ADDRESS (NEW CLAIMANTS ONLY) A recent household bill in your name, such as: A gas or electricity bill Or TV licence EVIDENCE OF YOUR NATIONAL INSURANCE NUMBER Such as: A National Insurance number card Pay slips Or letters from the social security or the tax office EVIDENCE OF CAPITAL, SAVINGS AND INVESTMENTS This includes all your bank, building society or post office books, full bank statements (showing all transactions), or certificates for premium bonds, National Savings Certificates, ISAs, stocks, shares and unit trusts. Including evidence of any interest or dividends you get on investments and savings. This includes evidence for children in your household as well. The evidence must show details for at least the last two months. EVIDENCE OF EARNINGS This includes information for any other adults living in your home. For example: If you are paid every week, you will need to provide your last 5 pay slips

3 If you are paid every 2 weeks, you will need to provide your last 3 pay slips If you are paid monthly you will need to provide your last 2 pay slips If you (or your partner, if you have one) are self-employed, you will need to provide your accounts for the last financial year or, if you have been trading for less than 6 months, a summary of your trading records so far. EVIDENCE OF OTHER INCOME This includes: Pension slips from former employers Or a letter from court showing how much maintenance you are getting If someone, other than a member of your family, pays you for board and lodgings, you will need to provide evidence of this. EVIDENCE OF BENEFITS, ALLOWANCES OR PENSIONS This includes information for any other adults living in your home, such as: Current award notices Or letters from social security or inland revenue confirming how much you get. If you do not have evidence, let the housing benefit office know straight away Important - please do not send order books through the post. EVIDENCE OF TENANCY You will need to supply a copy of your tenancy agreement with us. Please ensure you keep your tenancy agreement in a safe place. We can also provide a letter confirming details of your tenancy. EVIDENCE OF OTHER MONEY PAID OUT Such as: Letters Maintenance agreements Or receipts from registered child carers It is important that you contact the housing benefit office if you need more time to supply your proofs and you should always ask for a receipt for any forms or information supplied. CAN I HAVE MY HOUSING BENEFIT PAID DIRECTLY TO L&H HOMES? Yes, this can be paid directly to us. There is a section on the form to fill in or you can write to your Housing Benefit Department requesting payment to us. However, Universal Credit is now being rolled out and will replace Housing Benefit. You will no longer have the option to have the housing element paid directly to your landlord. You will need to pay this to us from your monthly Universal Credit payment. If you are only eligible for Housing Benefit to cover part of your rent, we recommend that you have this paid directly to you and pay your full rent directly to us yourself.

4 WHAT DO I DO WHEN I HAVE FILLED IN MY APPLICATION FORM AND PROVIDED HOUSING BENEFIT WITH ALL THE INFORMATION THEY NEED? You will need to check on the progress of your claim on a weekly basis, as it is your responsibility to make sure Housing Benefit have all the information they need to process your claim. DO I NEED TO PAY ANYTHING WHILST MY HOUSING BENEFIT IS BE PROCESSED? You are still responsible for your rent payments, and we will ask you to pay your weekly rent in full. However if you contact the Income Team we can do a trial calculation if you have not asked your Housing Benefit department to do this for you. For this we would need your accurate income and household details. We will then be able to advise you if you can make reduced payments whilst your housing benefit is being processed. WHAT CAN I DO IF THE COUNCIL TAKE A LONG TIME TO MAKE A DECISION? If you have made a claim and provided all the information the council have asked for, they must make a decision within 14 days. If they cannot, they must make an interim payment of what they estimate your entitlement to be, until they can make a final decision. If they have had your claim for 2 weeks and not made a decision you should make sure they do this. SHOULD I TELL HOUSING BENEFIT AND COUNCIL TAX ABOUT ANY CHANGES? Yes, you need to let them know if your circumstances change, so they can pay you the right amount of benefit. Tell them for example if: The money you have coming in changes You come off Income Support or Income based Job Seekers Allowance There are any changes to your household size Your rent changes You are going to be away from home for a while You start work WHY HAS MY HOUSING BENEFIT AND COUNCIL TAX STOPPED? Housing Benefit might think that you should no longer get benefit or they have been paying you too much. Remember that their decision letters must show all the information they have used to make the decision - you should check they have used the right information. If you feel you are still entitled to Housing Benefit then you must complete a new claim form or appeal against their decision if you think it is wrong. If it has been suspended and they ask for more information, give them the details they need within one calendar month of the date of their letter. If they decide to stop your benefit, they should write to you to explain why. WHAT DO I DO ABOUT A GAP IN MY CLAIM? If there is a gap in your claim and you have a good reason for claiming late, you can ask for your benefit to be backdated. There is a limit to how far back housing benefit can go.

5 WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT MONEY IF MY BENEFITS ARE STOPPED? Claim again: You can make a new claim as long as you are entitled to benefit now Hardship Payment: If your Job Seekers Allowance is stopped or delayed, you might be able to Get a Hardship Payment. It depends on your circumstances and the reason you are not getting benefit. Get a JSA10 claim form from the Job Centre or Benefits Agency If you have had benefits sanctioned it is really important to contact the Housing Benefit department immediately, so that they are fully aware of why your benefits have been ended. This should prevent your Housing Benefit being suspended whilst you are sanctioned CONTACT US service.centre@longhurst-group.org.uk like L&H Homes Leverett House, Gilbert Drive, Endeavour Park, Boston, Lincolnshire PE21 7TQ L&H Homes is committed to equality and diversity and recognises diversity in all areas of our work. We seek to treat people with respect and deliver services that meet individual need.