Housing benefit

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) is a benefit that you might get if there is a difference between the amount you receive in Housing Benefit or Universal Credit and how much your rent is.

This benefit can also be used to help towards housing costs, such as the costs of moving home.

If you need help completing the application form, you can visit any of our resident assistance points or you can request help from one of our benefit advisors.

What happens next?

After you have applied, we will let you know the outcome of your claim as soon as possible by your preferred contact method. You will also receive a letter confirming the outcome.

If your application is successful, we will usually pay you any continuing award of DHP.

How it's worked out

All DHP awards are based on your income, outgoings and any savings you have. We might also account for income which we would normally ignore in your Housing Benefit calculation. We look at things like:

• your total income
• if you have any savings
• if there is anyone else in the house that can help financially
• if you have any outstanding loans or debts to pay
• if you could rearrange your finances to improve your situation
• if you or your family have any special circumstances, such as ill health or disability.

Maximum payments and awards

The maximum amount that can be considered is the shortfall between your Housing Benefit award and your rental liability.

The amount and the duration of a DHP award will be decided on a case by case basis. It also depends on how much of the budget we have available.

Awards are only normally given for a short period of time, to give you time to make longer-term changes. Priority will be given if you have long-term plans to improve your situation and the DHP payment will help you in the short-term.

What to do if you don't agree with our decision

DHP is discretionary and there is no law giving you the right to appeal. You can request a review if you disagree with a decision. This must be made in writing within one calendar month and must include details of why you think that the decision should be revised.

You cannot ask for a review if the reason is because:

• the DHP fund budget is used up. Funds are monitored and requests will be declined if the limit is reached.
• you do not meet the eligibility criteria.

The request will be reviewed by a senior officer who will write to you with the outcome of the review, usually within one calendar month of your request. This decision is final and binding.

If you have a complaint about the way your application process has been dealt with, please write to our corporate complaints team.