Housing Benefit - help with your rent

In 2018 Universal Credit replaced Housing Benefit for most working age people. This means people over 18 who have not reached the age they can claim State Retirement Pension. State Pension Age

Please check below to see whether you can still claim Housing Benefit. If not, you must claim Universal Credit for help with your rent. Do not delay in making your claim for Universal Credit or you will lose money.

People who can still claim Housing Benefit

You can claim Housing Benefit if:

  • You are currently receiving Housing Benefit and move to another address within the borough. You must notify us of this change. Notify a change of address
  • You have been placed in temporary accommodation, either in Redbridge or outside of the borough, by the Redbridge Housing department. 

Please note that if another council has placed you in accommodation in Redbridge you must claim Housing Benefit from that council.

  • You live in supported accommodation. This means that your rent includes a charge for care, support and supervision and is provided by one of the following: an English non-metropolitan county council, a housing association, a not for profit voluntary organisation, or a registered charity.
  • You and your partner (if you have one) are of an age where you can claim State Retirement Pension.

If none of the above apply to you, you must claim Universal Credit

You will not be entitled to Housing Benefit if:

  • you and your partner (if you have one) have savings over £16,000
  • you are a full time student, unless you

- are disabled

- are a lone parent

- are a couple with children and one of you is a student. Please note the person who is not a student should make the claim for Housing Benefit.

  • you or your partner (if you have one) are not responsible for paying the rent
  • you are seeking asylum or have no recourse to public funds 
  • you are living in the UK under a sponsorship agreement

You will be required to provide documentation to support your claim so you may want to have this information to hand to upload to your claim form

Identity for you and your partner 

  • Birth certificate
  • Marriage certificate
  • Current passport
  • Medical card
  • Driving license in photo card format
  • UK residence permit
  • National Identity card
  • Letter from a government department 

National Insurance Number for you and your partner 

  • National Insurance number card/letter
  • P60 or payslips
  • Letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

The benefits team will contact you if they require any further documentation. 

Other evidence you may be required to submit

  • Earnings for you, your partner and any other adults living with you
  • Self-employed earnings for you and your partner
  • Other income for you, your partner and other adults living with you 
  • Capital, savings and investments for you and your partner
  • Childcare costs 
  • Benefits, allowances or pensions for you, your partner and any other adults living with you
  • An acceptable Universal Credit monthly statement (PDF 109KB) The document you provide must show:

- Payment period

- Claimant's name(s)

- All Allowances for the claimant's circumstances

- Any earnings that are taken into account

- All Deductions for the claimant's circumstances

- Total payment for the month

To provide a full Universal Credit statement:

- Log into your Universal Credit account/journal

- Go to the Statement summary page

- Click into the most recent monthly statement; it will come up on your screen

- “Save as PDF"

- Save the document to your device (laptop, computer or phone)

- Upload the PDF to your claim

Although we will accept 'screenshots' of your UC award, this can be very time consuming as we require all sections, not just the payment amount, and if you do not send all the sections and your monthly award is unclear, it will not be accepted. 

 

 

Making a claim for Housing Benefit 

If you are satisfied that you can claim Housing Benefit for help with your rent, please use the link below to complete an application form. If you are liable to pay Council Tax we will calculate any entitlement you have to Council Tax Reduction at the same time as your Housing Benefit claim.  

At the end of the form you will see a list of documents needed to support your claim. Please upload the documents at this point so we have all the evidence we need to process your claim. 

 If you do not have them to hand, please send them as soon as possible to housing.benefits@redbridge.gov.uk  You must send your documents to us within one month of your claim and if you do not we will be unable to process your claim. We will not send you a reminder.

Apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction

 

Files must be in GIF, JPG, JPEG, PDF or PNG format and be a maximum of 20mb in size. 

Please upload your proof with your claim form. If you are unable to do this you may email your documents to housing.benefits@redbridge.gov.uk

To find out more about the information we collect from you and how we use it, please review the privacy notice

 

How to go back to a claim you have started

To go back to a claim you have started you will need to enter your

  • Name
  • National Insurance number
  • Citizens Access Benefits key - This will have been emailed to you when you saved your claim.

You will be required to answer the three security questions set up when you saved your claim.

Please note saved claims must be submitted within 14 days. 

Go back to a claim I have started

 

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