Discretionary Housing Payments
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) are additional payments to help with your housing costs. They are not payments of Housing Benefit.
In order to be considered for a DHP, you must have a liability to pay rent to live in your home and satisfy at least one of the following criteria. Either:
- you are in receipt of Housing Benefit; or,
- you are in receipt of Housing Costs from Universal Credits.
Any applicants that do not satisfy this criteria will be refused.
Supporting evidence you will need
Before you complete this form, you will need the following supporting documentation ready to upload to this form:
- Your latest full Universal Credit Award notification showing all elements of the award
- Your last 2 monthly statements for all Bank, Building Society and Post Office accounts held in you and your partner's name (if relevant) showing all transactions in to and out of the accounts. They must also show name, address and balance.
If applying for rent arrears claims:
- Proof of any eviction letters from your landlord due to rent arrears, i.e. a Notice Seeking Possession, Section 8 or 21 notification.
- Proof of any arrears and the period these began to accrue to the present date. This must be either your rent statement or a letter from your landlord.
If applying for claims for removal costs:
- you provide written quotes from at least 3 separate removal companies. This must include their business address and BACS details, as payment will be sent directly to them
If applying for claims for rent in advance or deposit:
- Tenancy Agreement or Tenancy Offer letter from your potential landlord.
Council Tax Hardship Payments
Council Tax Hardship Payments (CTHP) are a one-off payment to help with your Council Tax charge at your current address.
In order to be eligible to receive a CTHP, you must:
- be a resident and liable for Council Tax at the property that you are claiming for
- have made a recent claim for Council Tax Reduction. (If you do not currently have a live claim for Council Tax Reduction, please ensure that you have applied for this before applying for a CTHP)
No court costs can be considered when reviewing what level of CTHP support we are able to offer.
Any requests to backdate the support cannot be considered prior to 1 April 2021.
Once you have submitted your application
Any award or pending award will not replace a demand, you will need to continue to make payments per your revised bill. For example, if your Council Tax demand states that you need to pay £100 per month, you should continue with that arrangement until such time that a decision has been made on your application.
Once a decision has been awarded, you will need to make payments per the revised bill.
