Housing Benefit and Extra help towards your Rent and Council Tax ...

Housing Benefit andCouncil Tax BenefitAdviceDiscretionary HousingPaymentsExtra help towards yourRent and Council Tax

Equal Opportunities StatementGravesham Borough Council is committed to ensuring that no serviceuser or customer is discriminated against on the grounds of disability,gender, race, religion and belief, or sexuality.Leaflets available:• Help with rent and Council Tax for Working Age People• Help with rent and Council Tax for Pensioners• Can my Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claim bebackdated?• Changes you need to tell us about• A Guide for the Self-Employed• Discretionary Housing Payments - Extra help towards your rent &Council Tax• Appeals - What do I do if I disagree with your decision?• A guide to Overpayments and Debt• A guide for Landlords and Agents• A guide to Local Housing Allowance• A guide to Local Housing Allowance for Landlords and Agents• A guide for StudentsYou can get the above leaflets in large print.! Please note that whilst every effort has been made to ensure that thedetails given in this leaflet are correct, the information should not betreated as an authoritative statement of benefit regulations.2

What are Discretionary Housing Payments?Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are extra payments made atthe discretion of Gravesham Borough Council to help people meet theirshortfalls in rent, Council Tax or both. We give DHPs to people claimingbenefit who need extra help with their housing costs, if these are morethan the amount of the benefit they receive.The amount of money we have for these payments is subject to anannual cash limit.What DHP cannot be paid for?We cannot award you a DHP for:• Fuel, water or sewerage charges if these are included in your rent.• Food charges for breakfast, lunch and dinner.• Any rent you owe.• When your Housing or Council Tax Benefit payments aresuspended.• Rent, if you are only entitled to Council Tax Benefit.• Council Tax, if you only get Housing Benefit.• If the only benefit you get is Second Adult Rebate.Who can get a DHP?If your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit is less than the amount ofyour rent or Council Tax you must pay you can apply for a DiscretionaryHousing Payment.3

How do I apply for a DHP?You can only apply for a DHP if you are currently entitled to Housing orCouncil Tax Benefit. Contact us on 01474 33 77 10 for an applicationform.We aim to acknowledge receipt of your request within 5 working days,and give you a decision within 10 working days or as soon as isreasonably practicable.How do you decide if I can have a DHP?Each case is considered individually. The more information you are ableto give us the easier it will be for us to decide and the quicker we will beable to let you know if your request has been successful.We look at the following things:• Your total income.• Your total savings.• If anyone else in your household can help you financially.• Your total outgoings.• If you have and loans or debts.• If you or anyone in your family is ill or disabled.• If you could manage your money better to ease the situation.We will ask you for a lot of information and we may also ask you tocome in to discuss your claim in more detail.We will send you a letter telling you our decision and our reasons forthat decision.4

How much help can I get and for how long?How much you get depends on your circumstances. As we look at eachcase individually we cannot guarantee we will definitely give you apayment.For Housing Benefit, we cannot give you more than your total rent (lessany amounts for services such as electricity or water).For Council Tax Benefit, we cannot give you more than the amount ofyour Council Tax.If we award you a DHP we will write to you to confirm the amount youhave been awarded and how long we will pay it for.If my request is successful how will you pay the DHP?If you are awarded Discretionary Housing Payments to help pay yourrent we will usually pay it by the same method and time you are paidyour Housing Benefit. However, if you normally have your HousingBenefit paid to your landlord, you can request that these payments godirectly to you.If you are awarded Discretionary Housing Payments to help pay yourCouncil Tax we will credit your Council Tax account.Our decision letter will explain this.5

What should I do if I disagree with your decision?If you disagree with our decision not to give you a DHP, the amount wehave awarded you or how long we will give you a DHP for, you can askus to look at our decision again.You should write to us within one calendar month of the date on thedecision letter, telling us why you do not agree with our decision.However, as this is a discretionary scheme, there is no formal externalappeal procedure. We will carry out a reconsideration through ourinternal appeal procedure.What if my circumstances change?You must tell us about any changes in you or your partner’s income,investments, savings, benefits, as well as changes in your rent paid to aprivate landlord. We also need to know if anyone leaves or joins yourhousehold.You should tell us in writing as soon as the change happens. We willthen look at the Discretionary Housing Payment we awarded and seewhether it needs to be changed.If the change results in additional financial difficulties we may be able toaward more Discretionary Housing Payments. If the change means youare better off we may end or reduce the payments.For more information regarding change of circumstances see our leaflet‘Changes you need to tell us about’.6

Where Can I Get Help?You can always phone us for help and advice. For details visit ourwebsite www.gravesham.gov.uk or see the back of this leaflet.You could also contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or ShelterKent Housing Aid.Citizens Advice BureauGravesend44 Windmill StreetGravesendKentDA12 1BACall 01474 33 12 39Shelter Kent (North)Housing Aid Centre2 Ordnance StreetChathamKentME4 6SLShelter is a charitable organisation that offers independent housing aidconsisting of confidential advice, assistance and active support on awide range of housing problems. Their advice service is free of chargeand operates independently from Gravesham Borough Council.Personal callers are dealt with between 10am and 1pm on Mondays andFridays, and between 2pm and 4.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.The centre is also contactable by telephone.A telephone advice line (01634 81 11 66) is available between the hoursof 10am and 1pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays, andbetween 2pm and 4.30pm on Thursdays.If you need to contact Shelter outside these hours, please ring thenumber shown above and leave a message on the answer phone – ahousing adviser will contact you as soon as possible. Alternatively, callthe national free phone number Shelterline, 0808 80 04 4447

If you have any questions about your Housing Benefit orCouncil Tax Benefit.Phone us on: 01474 33 77 10The telephone lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pmA service is available for minicom users on: 01474 33 76 17 (fortextphone users only)Write to us at:Benefit SectionGravesham Borough CouncilP.O. Box 80GravesendKentDA12 1ZQE-mail us at Housingbenefits@gravesham.gov.ukVisit our Civic Centre office at the following times.Monday to Friday 9am - 4.30pmWhat if I want to comment on your service?We value all comments regarding our service and would like to hearfrom you as we are committed to providing a high quality and accessibleservice.All comments regarding this leaflet or any aspect of our service arewelcome. You can contact us in the following ways:Visit us at the Civic Centre, Windmill Street, Gravesend.Phone us on: 01474 33 77 10Minicom users on: 01474 33 76 17Email us at: Housingbenefits@gravesham.gov.ukSwitchboard Minicom Website01474 56 44 22 01474 33 76 17 www.gravesham.gov.uk8