You may be able to get Housing Benefit to help pay some or all of your rent. This depends on your income, savings and your family circumstances. You can get a Housing Benefit claim form from your local council's Housing Benefit Office or Christian Action Housing’s office.
If you need any help in filling in the form your Revenue Officer will be happy to help you.
If your claim is a new one, there may be a delay before Christian Action Housing receives Housing Benefit payments while your claim is being assessed by your local Housing Benefit Office. If this happens you must contact the Housing Benefit Office as often as necessary to find out what is happening with your claim. If they require additional information you must provide it immediately so that they can process it.
You must complete and return Housing Benefit forms before or during the week when you first became entitled to benefit. The Housing Benefit Office will suspend or cancel your claim if you do not apply in time or fail to supply the information requested, or respond to visits they may make to your home.
All rents and most service charges are covered by Housing Benefit depending upon eligibility to claim it. However items that are not usually covered by Housing Benefit include heating costs, TV licences, water rates, support services and nursing care. For full details please contact your Local Council Housing Benefit Office or your Revenue Officer. You are responsible for paying any rent or service charge that Housing Benefit does not pay.
If some or all of your rent is paid by Housing Benefit it will usually be paid direct to Christian Action Housing. If Housing Benefit is paid direct to you or only part of the rent is paid by Housing Benefit, you must pay the full amount due by one of the above methods. Housing Benefit is intended for rent payments only.
You must advise the Housing Benefit Office at once if your circumstances change, for example, you start work, receive any additional benefits or someone leaves your household, as your claim may need to be reassessed.
It is a criminal offence to fail to tell the Housing Benefit Office about changes which may affect your claim. You can be fined or even imprisoned. In addition your payments will be stopped, and the Housing Benefit Office will recover any overpayments. You are responsible for any rent arrears which result from a Housing Benefit overpayment.