Housing Benefit and Council tax Support - Landlords

Universal Credit

If your tenant is in receipt of Universal Credit (UC), they will not be entitled to Housing Benefit, unless they are living in specified or temporary accommodation as they will receive help towards their housing costs in their UC claim. UC is paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) so any queries you have, you will need to contact the DWP direct.

Direct payment of Housing Benefit to landlord

Under the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) scheme, Housing Benefit will be paid direct to the tenant, unless good reasons can be shown that the tenant will have serious problems paying their rent and managing their money.

In such circumstances, the payment can be made to the Landlord to help the tenant keep their tenancy. The landlord or the tenant will need to complete this form and proof will need to be provided to support the application, such as proof of non-payment of rent.

Apply for direct payment to landlord

If the decision is made to pay the landlord directly, it is then the landlord's responsibility to tell us when things change, such as if the tenant moves out, and for paying back any recoverable overpaid benefit.

What we can tell you about your tenant's claim

If Housing Benefit is paid direct to your tenant, we can only give you information on whether or not a decision has been made on the new claim, but only if permission has been given by the tenant on the claim form or in writing.

If Housing Benefit is paid direct to yourself, we can give you information on payments, such as when they will start and stop, frequency and amounts and whether deductions are being made for overpayments. You will receive letters regarding this information.

We cannot tell you any confidential or personal details of the tenant such as their financial circumstances.

Landlord appeals

Landlords only have certain rights to appeal if they don't agree with the decision about Housing Benefit. While they cannot appeal the level of benefit we award they can:

• appeal if our decision is not to pay benefit direct to them
• appeal if we ask them to pay back any benefit we have overpaid

Landlord Agents

If you would like all correspondence and payments to go to your agent, you will have to put this in writing giving details of your agent's name, address and bank details.

Landlords Schedules

We would like to send all landlords schedules and notifications electronically. To receive yours electronically, please complete the form here