The payments can help people with housing costs, including those affected by the benefit cap, removal of the spare room subsidy in the social rented sector, or local housing allowance
The Department for Work and Pensions has highlighted the eligibility rules for claiming extra payment to help with housing costs. Discretionary housing payments (DHPs) provide financial support to help with rent or housing costs.
In order to be eligible you must either currently receive housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit and need more financial support with housing costs.
DHP funding is available in both Wales and England and can help people with housing costs including those affected by the benefit cap, removal of the spare room subsidy in the social rented sector, or local housing allowance (LHA) rates.
The UK Government website states you may get a DHP to cover housing costs for a rent shortfall, rent deposits, or rent in advance if you need to move home.
DHPs cannot cover council tax, even if you get local council tax support, the government states.
The DWP website states: “Each council decides how their application process will work and your council will look at your circumstances to see whether you are eligible for a DHP.
“They will decide whether to give you a DHP, how much you will be paid, and how long you will receive the payment.”
The DWP recently explained some universal credit payments may have to be repaid.
The benefit provides financial assistance to people under state pension age who are on a low income and/or out of work.
Most claimants receive payments monthly and universal credit is replacing housing benefit, income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), and income support.
As well as needing help with living costs claimants must live in the UK, have less than £16,000 in savings, and be aged 18 or over although there are sometimes exceptions for 16- and 17-year-olds.
But in an alert issued on X the DWP has urged those who receive universal credit to get in touch to report various changes.
The post reads: “If you’ve moved in with a partner or your living arrangements have changed remember to update your circumstances using your universal credit account.
“Not reporting changes could lead to overpayments that you may have to repay”. A voiceover in an accompanying video adds: “Moved in with a partner or had a change of living situation?
“Remember to update your circumstances using your online universal credit account.
“If you don’t you could build up overpayments, which you’ll have to repay.
“Keeping your universal credit account up to date ensures you receive the support that you are entitled to.”
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