housing benefit A GUIDE FOR B.V.T. TENANTS

WHAT IS HOUSING BENEFIT?

Housing Benefit is a benefit that you can claim from your local Council Office to help you with the payment of your rent, if you are on a low income or unemployed.

Housing Benefit only pays your 'eligible rent', this means that it does not cover payment for 'ineligible services' (such as heating, lighting, meals, personal care, etc) that may be included as part of the rent.

WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES?

Tenants are responsible for notifying Benefit Services, direct when:-

• You have a rent increase
• Change of income
• Change of circumstances (eg another person living in household)

It is important to notify the Benefit Service as soon as any of the above effects you. This will reduce the chances of an overpayment of benefit which may lead to rent arrears or other more serious action in respect of fraudulent claims etc.

If your Housing Benefit entitlement does not cover the full amount of your rent you are responsible for paying the shortfall.

You also need to fill in an update form for Housing Benefit, so that they keep paying. If you do not, your Housing Benefit will stop and you will be responsible for full rent.

When you submit a claim for Housing Benefit it is important that you obtain a verification certificate from your local Council Office. This receipt should be retained for future reference.

WHAT ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES?

Our responsibility is to notify you when we receive Benefit Notifications so you can check that the information you receive from the Benefit Services is the same as we have received, if you find it is not, you must contact the Benefit Services direct and query it with them.

If we receive a Benefit Notice and the eligible rent is not the same as your rent should be, we will send out a proof of rent letter direct to the Benefit Services, which will tell them what the eligible rent should be and the date it was effective from.

For more information call the Birmingham Benefits Services on 0121 464 7000 or the Shropshire Benefits Services on 01952 20 20 20.

ACTION CHECK LIST

1. Find out if you are eligible
2. Get your claim in
3. Always up date Benefit Services of ANY change of circumstances
4. Regularly up date your claim

Click here to download information booklet (pdf)

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