Report changes that affect your Housing Benefit
Contents
- Housing Benefits overview
- Apply for Housing Benefit
- Report changes that affect your Housing Benefit
- How we pay Housing Benefit
- Appeal a Housing Benefit decision
You must tell us about any changes that could affect your Housing Benefit. To do this complete Report a change of circumstances .
Some changes of circumstances will mean you have to move to Universal Credit for your housing costs to continue. Examples of this are if:
- there is a gap in your housing benefit
- you need to claim a new DWP benefit (for example coming out of work, becoming sick or claiming for a child for the first time)
For more details read about Universal Credit. If you still need some advice call us on 0300 3030164.
Changes to report
If you are claiming Housing Benefit you need to tell us as soon as possible if you, or anyone you live with, has any of the changes of circumstance listed below:
- a change of address
- someone moving in with you
- income changes (including wages, pensions, benefits, maintenance)
- changes to savings and investments
- Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance starting or stopping
- a change from Jobseeker’s Allowance (contribution-based) to Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based)
- a dependent child leaving full-time education
- rent changes (for housing benefit claims only)
- going abroad or being away from home for more than two weeks
You must tell us within one month of a change happening. If you don’t you may lose some of your entitlement and we may pay you the wrong amount.
If we pay you too much, you will have to pay this back.
Report a change of circumstances
Suspending payments
When a change has been reported that is likely to reduce the amount of entitlement, housing benefit payments will be suspended as soon as possible to avoid overpayment.
Notice of the suspension will be sent to you and the landlord, if they are receiving the payments directly from us.
Payments will begin again, if you are still entitled, as soon as the change has been assessed and the new entitlement has been calculated.
You can ask us to suspend your housing benefit payments if you have had a change that you expect will lower your entitlement amount. This could stop us from overpaying you. To do this call the Benefit team on 0300 3030164 option 3.
If you are unsure what difference a change might make to your payments you can get an estimate using our Benefit calculator.
Related content
Appeal a Housing Benefit decision
Extra help with your housing costs (Discretionary Housing Payments)
Contact details
Benefits , Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 0300 3030164 option 3
Telephone opening times: Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm, except bank holidays