Do you need help paying rent?

If you pay rent for your home you may be entitled to some help.  You can only claim Housing Benefit if your Capital is below £16,000 and;

• you and your partner are pension age
• you are working age and live in supported accommodation
• you have been placed in temporary accommodation
• you are already receiving Housing Benefit and have had a change to your circumstances. Please make sure you tell us about a change via our online form - Tell us about a change

You will need to claim Housing Costs via Universal Credit if you are working age and do not fit into any of  the categories above. Please follow this link https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit

You will not get Housing Benefit, if

• You have capital over £16,000 unless you are in receipt of Guaranteed Pension Credit - https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim
• You are in receipt of Universal Credit, unless you are living in Supported Accommodation
• You own your own home
• You pay rent to a close relative who you share a house with

Tell us about a change

If you are unsure use the contact form below for advice

It's really important that you claim the right benefit. If you don't, you could miss out on money that you are entitled to and your claim could be delayed.

Claiming housing benefit

If you know you need to claim housing benefit, you can make an application by logging in to your benefits account or by using the button below.

Claiming council tax reduction

If you are applying for Universal Credit you will need to make a separate application for council tax reduction to help towards your council tax payments. If you are applying for housing benefit, you can apply for council tax reduction as part of your application.

You can apply online by clicking in the button below.

• The application will take between 15 and 20 minutes to complete. 
• You will need to have your personal and income details in order to complete the form.
• Please upload any evidence when you complete the form as this will speed up the processing of your claim.
• You will need an email address to complete the form and you may be contacted by email if we require any further information

Need help?

If you do not have an e-mail address, or need advice on how to complete the form, please contact us by clicking on the button below. 

You can also contact Citizens Advice for help with the form. They will be able to offer you an appointment at one of their offices in Leek, Cheadle or Biddulph.