Help Paying My Rent
- Am I entitled to any help towards my rent?
- How can I claim Housing Benefit?
- How is Housing Benefit paid?
- What about support charges?
Am I entitled to any help towards my rent?
If you pay rent and are on a low income, you may be eligible for Housing Benefit. Housing Benefit is designed to help you meet your rent liability, including any eligible service charges and is paid by your local authority.
How can I claim Housing Benefit?
If you think you are eligible for Housing Benefit, we can provide you with a claim form, or you can contact your local authority for one. You can find the address of your local council in the business section of the telephone book. You should return your completed form to the local authority for processing and they will contact you to advise what level of benefit is available to you.
It is important to note that any claim for Housing Benefit is between you and the local authority and 'Johnnie' Johnson Housing has no involvement in the claim at all.
You can elect to have your Housing Benefit paid directly to us. This means it will be taken off your rent, so that you either pay no rent or a reduced rent (also known as a rent rebate). If the amount of Housing Benefit you get does not cover all of yourrent, including any service charges, you will need to make up the shortfall yourself. It is worth noting here that having your Housing Benefit paid direct to the Trust does not mean that the responsibility for paying your rent transfers to the local authority - you remain solely responsible for paying your rent in full.
If you choose to have your Housing Benefit paid direct to yourself, you will need to put in place a suitable arrangement for paying the full rent and any additional charges using one of the methods described earlier.
If you have Supporting People charges in addition to your rent, it may be possible to obtain a subsidy to cover this charge. If you have been successful in claiming Housing Benefit, it is likely that you will be eligible for a Supporting People subsidy and you can apply for this by contacting your local authority Supporting People Section.
If you are not eligible for Housing Benefit, it is unlikely that you will qualify for Supporting People Subsidy. However, if you feel that you are on the borderline regarding qualification for Housing Benefit, you could ask for a Fairer Charging Assessment to be carried out by the local authority Supporting People Section.
