Housing Benefit

wagboteddy

Hi,


I have lost my job today and my rent is due tomorrow.I am going to apply for Housing Benefit today, when will that start from ?Will it be for this months rents which is due tomorrow or next months rent due 30th june ?I am in private accomodation.

Thanks in advance

injaroc

From past experience they start your claim from the monday after they receive your application regardless of when your rent is due. If this is the case with all councils I dont know.

McKneff

You pay your rent tomorrow out of the wages you have earned since you paid last months rent.

daimonde

if you apply today, then yes it will start from monday, its the monday following the claim or the intention to claim, so if you dont manage to make an application before friday, at least make it known to them that you want to apply, ask for a form now if necessary, pop in if they have the facility / if you can make it.

once you have applied / notified them of intention to claim, you have a month to make a completed application / provide all needed info & the claim will still start from that original following monday. if that makes sense

Caz3121

If you had not lost your job today, how were you planning on paying your rent tomorrow?

daimonde

misread that initial post, damned headche,

HB is paid in arrears, it would normally be paid fortnightly direct to you, so you would be due a payment sometime in the next two weeks.

so in theory, and just for example, if you applied today, your first full payment would cover the monday after you claim & the next two weeks, so from 4th to 17th June, which would be paid about 18th, but that is just for an idea of how it works.

missapril75

Caz3121 wrote: »

If you had not lost your job today, how were you planning on paying your rent tomorrow?

I had the same response at first. But then there could be any number of bits of info we don't have.

May have been absent for some reason - sick, domestic emergency, something not allowed but thought it would be - or just not expecting the news. May have just discovered no pay this month after all.:eek:

Hmm71

daimonde wrote: »

misread that initial post, damned headche,

HB is paid in arrears, it would normally be paid fortnightly direct to you, so you would be due a payment sometime in the next two weeks.

so in theory, and just for example, if you applied today, your first full payment would cover the monday after you claim & the next two weeks, so from 4th to 17th June, which would be paid about 18th, but that is just for an idea of how it works.

Apply today and paid on the 18th? Blimey that'd be quick! Last time I applied for HB as a new claim it took 12 weeks to sort out.

daimonde

Hmm71 wrote: »

Apply today and paid on the 18th? Blimey that'd be quick! Last time I applied for HB as a new claim it took 12 weeks to sort out.

varies LA to LA, with mine its a face to face done there & then service if you provide everything, so yeh, it would be paid by then. some will use old school 40 page postal applications, some phone apps, some online.

And as i said, it was a theoretical example.

TheBard

wagboteddy wrote: »

Hi,


I have lost my job today and my rent is due tomorrow.I am going to apply for Housing Benefit today, when will that start from ?Will it be for this months rents which is due tomorrow or next months rent due 30th june ?I am in private accomodation.

Thanks in advance

I'm an appeals officer in Housing Benefit. First thing you need to do is contact your council and state your intention to claim. As other posters have said, this will mean your claim will start the Monday following. Assuming you are entitled, you will be paid fortnightly in arrears if you are paid direct. HB works on a weekly basis, even if your tenancy is monthly. This can be difficult to manage, so you may want to do some planning now.

Provided you haven't claimed in the last year, your HB will be calculated using your full rent for the first 13 weeks of your claim. After that, you will be paid a maximum according to your Local Housing Allowance. Your council should have this advertised in their offices and on their website.

A lot of councils now work on an appointments system, where you can bring all the documents you need in and your claim is usually assessed promptly. Try to take advantage of this but bring all the information that is requested, even if you aren't sure why it is required. People's claims can be delayed a lot because they only provide information in bits and pieces.