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How to contact us
Information relating to the services which the Council provides and how to contact the
various departments can be obtained from any Branch Library or One Stop Shop
www.knowsley.gov.uk
In person: Please call at:
Huyton One Stop Shop
Municipal Buildings
Archway Road
Huyton
Merseyside
L36 9XJ
Kirkby One Stop Shop
Municipal Buildings
Cherryfield Drive
Kirkby
Merseyside
L32 1TX
Prescot One Stop Shop
Prescot Shopping Centre
Aspinall Street
Merseyside
L34 5GA
Halewood One Stop Shop
5/21 Ravens Court
Leathers Lane
Merseyside
L26 0UP
Leaflet MCL2
Help with Rent
One Stop Shop opening times:
Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm
Saturday 9.30am to 1.00pm (Huyton, Kirkby and Prescot offices only)
By post: Please write to:
Housing Benefit Section
Knowsley Borough Council
Municipal Buildings
Cherryfield Drive
Kirkby
Merseyside
L32 1TX
By telephone:
Please ring contact centre on
0151 443 4042
By e-mail:
[email protected]
By fax:
0151 443 4142
Disabled access is available at all of the One Stop Shops. The following facilities are
available:
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Wheelchair/pram access and lowered desks
Minicom telephone system for hearing impaired people. Please dial: 0151 443 4248
Advisors trained in British Sign Language (up to Level 2)
Access to BTs language line through which we can contact an interpreter in minutes
Private interview rooms
Friendly staff who are happy to assist
Issue Date: March 2007
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Contents
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15.
16.
What is Housing Benefit?
How can I claim Benefit?
How much Benefit can I claim?
How is it paid?
How soon will I be paid?
What information will I have to give?
How is my Benefit worked out?
What income is used?
Why am I not getting all my rent paid?
Non Dependant Deductions
What if I am renting from a private landlord?
When does my claim start from?
What if my circumstances change?
What are Extended Payments?
What if I disagree with my entitlement?
What if I have a query?
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1. What is Housing Benefit?
6. What information will I have to give?
Housing Benefit is a Social Security benefit, which helps people on low
income with the cost of their rent. Your local Council pays Housing Benefit.
You will have to show original documents of the following:
2. How can I claim Benefit?
‘
If you claim income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support, the
Department for Work and Pensions will normally tell us, but you should
also complete our benefit claim form.
If you want to claim help with paying your rent, complete a benefit claim
form, these are available at all the One Stop Shops, from our Contact
Centre or from our website. If you have a partner they do not need to
complete a separate form. You can also try our on-line benefits calculator
to see if you can get any help.
3. How much Benefit can I claim?
Benefit can be granted for up to 100% of your rent less:
• any deductions we make for other adults living with you. These people
are called non-dependants (see section Non-Dependant Deductions);
• heating, lighting, water charges or insurance payments
The minimum amount of benefit paid is 50pence per week.
Proof of identity for you and your partner
Proof of National Insurance number for you and your partner
Full details of all income you and your partner receive
Details of all savings and investments you and your partner may have
Name, dates of birth and income details of others living in the
household
• Proof of the rent you have to pay
7. How is my Benefit worked out?
If you are in receipt of Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s
Allowance you will normally get maximum Housing Benefit less any
deductions for non-dependants.
If you are working or receive any other type of benefit, the amount of
Housing Benefit you get will be based on you and your partner’s, if you
have one, income and capital.
Your benefit is worked out by comparing your total net weekly income with
your applicable amount; the allowance set by the government to take
account of your individual or family needs.
If you have savings or capital over £16,000 you will not be entitled to
Council Tax or Housing Benefit, unless you or your partner are in receipt of
Guaranteed Pension Credit. Some capital, including all capital under
£6,000 is ignored.
If your income is less than or the same as your applicable amount, you will
get the full amount of eligible Housing Benefit less any non-dependant
deductions. If your income is more than your applicable amount then your
Housing Benefit will be reduced by 65p for each £1.00 that your income is
over your applicable amount and by any non-dependant deductions.
4. How is it paid?
8. What income is used?
You have a choice of two ways:
We use net income, that is what’s left after tax, National Insurance and half
your pension contribution is taken out. Before we arrive at the final figure
for calculating whether you are entitled to benefit, we ignore the following
amounts from your earnings:
• Directly to you every two weeks or four weeks (see our website for
details)
• Directly to your landlord every four weeks
5. How soon will I be paid?
Payment should be made in 14 days if we have all the relevant information.
If we do not have enough information to make a final assessment then a
payment on account may be made.
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Single Claimants
Couples
Disabled Claimants and Carers
Lone Parents
£5.00
£10.00
£20.00
£25.00
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In addition there is an earnings disregard of £15.45 per week if working
over 30 hours, or over 16 hours for certain people.
10. Non-dependant deductions
Certain types of income, although they need to be declared, are not taken
into account in the calculation of your benefit. These are:
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Disability Living Allowance (care and mobility components)
Attendance Allowance
War Widows Pension
War Disablement Pension
Voluntary Payments
Also, if you pay childcare costs to a registered childminder or nursery, we
may allow you up to £175.00 per week for families with one child or
£300.00 per week with two or more children.
9. Why am I not getting all my rent paid?
This could be because:
• your rent includes something which you cannot claim e.g. water rates,
fuel charges
• your income or capital (savings) is too high. If your capital is more than
£16,000 you will not be entitled to Benefit, unless you or your partner
are in receipt of Guaranteed Pension Credit.
• the Council has had to apply a ‘Rent Restriction’. (See section What if I
am renting from a private landlord.)
• you have someone over 18 living with you, this is known as a nondependant deduction and varies with that person’s income and
circumstances
We do not take non-dependant deductions from your benefit if you or your
partner are registered blind, are receiving Attendance Allowance, or the Care
Component of Disability Living Allowance.
The following non-dependant deductions are made for other adults aged 18
or over and in remunerative work that live with you.
The levels of deduction are based upon the gross income of the nondependant.
£ 7.40 per week - for those who have gross income of less than £111
per week.
£17.00 per week - for those who have gross income of £111 - £163.99
per week.
£23.35 per week - for those who have gross income of £164 - £212.99
per week.
£38.20 per week - for those who have gross income of £213 - £282.99
per week.
£43.50 per week - for those who have gross income of £283 - £352.99
per week.
£47.75 per week - for those who have gross income of £353 or more
per week.
£7.40 per week- for all others, aged 18 or over
(Aged 25 or over and on Income Support/Income
Based Job Seekers Allowance or aged 18 or over
and not in remunerative work).
There is no deduction taken for non dependants who are getting Pension
Credits.
11. What if I am renting from a private landlord?
The Council will award benefit within strict rent limits as set by the Rent
Service. The Rent Service is an independent valuer who does not work for
the Council. If you have more rooms in your home than you or your family
need, your rent may be restricted.
The Rent Service will set one of the following figures:
• Claim Related Rent, this is a rental value for your actual property
• Local Reference Rent, this is a general level of rent for your type of
home in a particular locality
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• Single Room Rent, this figure is based on valuations for the single room
accommodation with shared use of toilet and kitchen facilities. This
figure will only be used when:
14. What are Extended Payments?
• The claimant is under 25 years old
• Single
• Not responsible for children
If you are thinking of renting from a private landlord and you intend to
claim Housing Benefit ask us for a Pre-Tenancy Determination to see if you
can afford the new rent, before you move in.
You will need agreement from the landlord and must complete a form,
which will be passed to the Rent Service for a decision within 7 days of the
Housing Benefit service receiving it.
A Pre-Tenancy Determination is carried out by the Rent Service and tells
you the maximum amount of rent that may be met by Housing Benefit. It
does not guarantee the amount of Housing Benefit you can get.
12. When does my claim start from?
Your benefit will usually be awarded from the Monday after your claim has
been received in the office. Unless your form is received during the week in
which you took up your tenancy, in which case benefit will be awarded from
the day you moved in and became liable for rent. In other cases benefit will
be awarded from the Monday after you first asked to claim, provided your
claim form is received by the Benefits office within one month of that date.
However, if you are a pensioner, your claim may be treated as being made
earlier, up to a maximum of 52 weeks.
13. What if my circumstances change?
If there is a change in your income or household circumstances you must
notify us in writing immediately, or you may lose benefit. If the change
gives you more benefit, but you did not tell us within a month of it
happening, your benefit will increase from the Monday following the date
you told us. You can do this by letter or you can visit your nearest One Stop
Shop, contact details at the back of this leaflet. You can also download a
change in circumstances form from our website. It is now an offence to fail
to report a change in circumstances, which may lead to the issuing of a
sanction. This could include a fine, prison sentence or a police record.
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An extended payment is for anyone who was unemployed and receiving
either Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Severe
Disablement Allowance or Incapacity Benefit which stopped because either
you or your partner started work or have increased your hours of work to
more than 16 per week.
You or your partner, or a combination of you both must have been getting
Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Severe
Disablement Allowance or Incapacity Benefit continuously for at least 26
weeks before the benefit ended.
You must also be:
a) Under 60 years old on the day after your Income Support or incomebased Jobseeker’s Allowance stopped.
b) The new job or increased hours (if previously less than 16 hours) must
be expected to last for at least 5 weeks.
c) You must be entitled to Housing or Council Tax Benefit immediately
before starting work.
d) You must have a liability for rent or Council Tax during the extended
payment period.
How long is the extended Benefit period for?
The extended Housing/Council Tax Benefit period will be for four weeks
from the day after your Income Support, income based Jobseeker’s
Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance or Incapacity Benefit has
stopped, as long as you continue to have a liability to pay rent or Council
Tax.
How will my Benefit be calculated?
You will get the same amount of Housing/Council Tax Benefit as you did
when you were in receipt of Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s
Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance or Incapacity Benefit. People
who change address however may be paid at a different rate.
How do I claim extended payments?
You must contact us within four weeks of the end of your entitlement to
Income Support or income-based Job Seekers Allowance, Severe
Disablement Allowance or Incapacity Benefit ending. You must also fill in a
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new claim form for Housing and Council Tax Benefit, within four weeks of
the end of your extended benefit.
15. What if I disagree with my entitlement?
If you disagree you should notify us in writing within one month from the
date shown on your notification. The leaflet called “Help with Disputing a
Benefit Decision” will tell you about your right to appeal.
16. What if I have a query?
You can call our contact centre or you can call in person at any of the One
Stop Shops.
You can write a letter to us, or email us. Contact details are at the back of
this leaflet.
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Leaflets and where to get them
Merseyside authorities working together
This leaflet is one of a series produced by a number of Merseyside
authorities to help you understand Housing Benefit and Council Tax
Benefit. It is a general guide. People have different circumstances, so
please contact us if you need more detailed advice. Addresses are on the
back of this leaflet.
All of these leaflets are available free of charge. You can get them from the One
Stop Shops, Citizen Advice Bureaux and libraries. You can also download copies
on www.knowsley.gov.uk.
For your ease, all of the leaflets have a reference to identify them:
MCL1
Starting Work
MCL2
Help with Rent
MCL3
Help with Council Tax
MCL4
How to claim Housing Benefit/Council Tax Benefit
MCL5
Help with Disputing a Benefit Decision
MCL6
Information for Landlords
MCL7
Housing & Council Tax Benefit Discretionary Housing Payments
MCL8
Housing & Council Tax Benefit for Young People
MCL9
Second Adult Rebate
MCL10
Council Tax Discounts and Exemptions
MCL11
Council Tax Disabled Relief
MCL12
Students
www.wirral.gov.uk
www.knowsley.gov.uk
www.liverpool.gov.uk
FIGHT FRAUD – PLAY YOUR PART
Benefit Thieves take money from your pocket. Don’t turn a blind eye and let them
get away with it. If you know or suspect a Benefit Thief, report it in confidence.
You do not have to give your details.
Call FREE on 0800 0730532 or use the simple Online Form at
www.knowsley.gov.uk
You can also get this information in other formats
and languages. Please phone 0151 443 4031 or
email [email protected]
This leaflet is printed on recycled paper