Apply for help to pay your rent

You can only apply for extra help to pay your rent if you are receiving:

• Housing Benefit
• housing costs within your Universal Credit claim

If you receive one of these benefits, you can apply for a discretionary award (also known as a discretionary housing payment).

To receive help towards your rent arrears you must have been in receipt of housing benefit or receive housing costs within your universal credit claim for the period that the arrears are for.

We can not help for periods where you were not entitled to housing benefit or housing costs within your Universal Credit claim.

If your housing benefit or Universal Credit housing costs entitlement covered your eligible rent in full (for the periods your rent arrears cover) we will not be able to help.

Ensure you have:

• completed all parts of the form
• supplied as much supporting evidence as possible, so that your application is not delayed

You will need to upload as much supporting evidence as possible to the application.

This could include:

• proof of your current rent
• rent statement (going back to when rent arrears arose to the present day)
• bank statements for the last 2 months
• proof of any action your landlord has taken against you
• evidence of any arrangements you have made with your landlord to pay the arrears
• Universal Credit statement
• landlords bank account details
• medical evidence (if appropriate)

If you're unable to provide all the evidence needed, you can still complete and submit the form. You can then gather the remaining evidence and send it to us as soon as possible, but no later than 1 calendar month from the date you submitted your form.

However, we cannot process your application or give any extra help until we have all the evidence needed.

If your application is successful, you will receive extra money towards rent.

View the discretionary housing payments policy PDF, 180KB.

We have a duty to pass your details onto our Homeless and Debt Advice Team if you apply for help and:

• tell us you can't afford to pay your rent
• have increasing rent arrears that mean you're at risk of homelessness within 56 days

They will contact you to carry out a housing assessment.

Alternatively, you can contact the team directly by emailing [email protected].