Check if a change affects your Housing Benefit

Tell your local council if:

• the amount of rent you pay changes – you’ll only need to do this if you rent from a private landlord or housing association

• someone moves into or out of your home

• your tenancy changes – for example if you take someone’s name off the tenancy agreement

You can find your local council on GOV.UK.

If you’ve moved to an area with a different local council, your Housing Benefit claim will end. You should check if you can still get Housing Benefit in your new home. Check if you can get Housing Benefit.

If you can still get Housing Benefit, you’ll need to make a new claim. You can find your local council on GOV.UK. 

If you’ve moved to a different home in the same council area, you can stay on Housing Benefit if the claim was in your name.

The claim might not be in your name if you were claiming Housing Benefit with a partner and you've now separated from them. Check if the benefit letters are addressed to you - that means the claim was in your name. You can also check with your local council. Find your local council on GOV.UK.

If you’ve moved out of temporary or supported accommodation

If you’re getting working age Housing Benefit, your payments will stop and you usually will not be able to make a new claim. 

If you’re getting pension age Housing Benefit, your payments will continue.

If you’re not sure what type of Housing Benefit you get, talk to an adviser.

If your Housing Benefit ends because you’re no longer eligible

You might be able to get Universal Credit to get help with your housing costs. Check if you’re eligible to claim Universal Credit. 

If you already get Universal Credit, you should report that you have housing costs on your online account - you can do this through the ‘Report a change of circumstances’ section. If you don’t have an online account, call the Universal Credit helpline.

If you’re staying in a hostel because you’re worried someone might hurt you in your home

If you’re over State Pension age, let your local council know you’ve moved to a hostel. Ask them for extra Housing Benefit to cover the cost.

You can get Housing Benefit for your permanent home and hostel as long as both the following apply:

• you want to go back to your home at some point

• the council thinks it’s reasonable to pay for both your home and the hostel

You can keep getting Housing Benefit if any of the following apply:

• you and your partner are both over state pension age 

• you live in temporary accommodation - this is housing from your local council if you've applied for homeless help

• you rent from a county council, charity or housing association and get care or support

If your partner is under pension age

If you don’t live in temporary or supported accommodation, your Housing Benefit will end when you move in together. You might be able to claim Universal Credit to get help for your housing costs. Check if you’re eligible to claim Universal Credit.

There’s another exception that means you might get Pension Credit or Housing Benefit as an individual. This applies if you’re the older partner and your younger partner isn’t eligible for Universal Credit because of one of a few specific reasons - for example because of their immigration status or because they're in prison. 

If you want to check if this applies to you, talk to an adviser.

Housing Benefit has ended for most working age people. You can still get Housing Benefit if you’re working age and live in some kinds of accommodation. For example, you can still get Housing Benefit if you:

• live in temporary accommodation - this is housing from your local council if you've applied for homeless help

• rent from a county council, charity or housing association and get care or support

If you claim Housing Benefit because you live in this type of accommodation you should tell the council if you, or your partner, turn State Pension age. This might mean you can get more Housing Benefit. Talk to an adviser to check if you should report this.

You can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK.

You can only keep getting Housing Benefit if your immigration status lets you claim public funds. In some situations you must also still have a ‘right to reside’.

You can claim public funds if you have any of the following:

• British or Irish citizenship

• settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme

• indefinite leave - unless you came to the UK on an adult dependent relative visa

• refugee status or humanitarian protection

• right of abode

If you have pre-settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme, you can claim public funds - but you also need to show you have a right to reside to get Housing Benefit. Check if you have a right to reside.

If you’ve applied to the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re waiting for a decision,  you can claim public funds - but you also need to show you have a right to reside to get Housing Benefit. Check if you have a right to reside.

If you have any other immigration status, check if your immigration status lets you claim public funds.

Tell your local council if you or someone you live with is going away for more than:

• 4 weeks – if it’s abroad

• 13 weeks – if it’s in the UK

You can still get Housing Benefit as long as you plan to return to your home and don’t rent it out while you’re away.

Explain the reason when you report the change. How long you can get Housing Benefit for depends on why you’re away.

If you’re staying in England, Scotland or Wales

You can get Housing Benefit if you go away for up to 13 weeks.   

You can get Housing Benefit if you’re away for up to a year because: 

• you, your partner or child are in hospital or getting treatment or care that’s approved by your doctor

• someone else is away getting treatment and you’re looking after their child

• you’re temporarily staying in a care home, for example to try it out

• you’re giving someone care that’s approved by their doctor

• you’ve had to leave your home because you’re worried someone might hurt you - for example your partner

• you’re a student and live somewhere different during term time

• you’re on a training course

• you’re in prison on remand or waiting to be sentenced

• you have to live away from home as a condition of bail

If you’ve had to leave your home suddenly, you might also be able to get Housing Benefit to cover the cost of a hostel.

If you go abroad

You can usually get Housing Benefit when you go away for up to 4 weeks. You can get it for up to 8 weeks if you’re abroad because your partner or a child included in your Housing Benefit claim has died.

You can get Housing Benefit if you’re abroad for up to 26 weeks because:

• you, your partner or child are in hospital or getting treatment or care that’s approved by your doctor

• you’re temporarily staying in a care home, for example to try it out

• you’ve had to leave your home because you’re worried someone might hurt you – for example your partner

• you or your partner is a member of the armed forces on a temporary placement

• you or your partner is a sailor or works on an oil platform

Tell your local council if:

• your income goes up or down – for example you start getting a pension from your old job

• your benefits change or you start getting a new benefit

If your income changes, explain how much more or less you think you’re going to get and over what period of time. If you're not sure, give the council an estimate.

If your benefits change you’ll also need to tell the council how much your income and savings are. This is so they can work out how much Housing Benefit you should get.

If your savings are over a certain limit, you need to tell your local council if your savings go up or down.

The limit depends on whether you’re claiming Housing Benefit as part of a couple, and whether you or your partner has reached state pension age. You can check your State Pension age on GOV.UK.

If you’re claiming as a single person

If you’re under State Pension age, the limit is £6,000.

If you’ve reached State Pension age, the limit is £10,000.

If you’re claiming as part of a couple

You should add your savings and your partner’s savings to check if you’re over the limit.

If you and your partner are both under State Pension age, the limit is £6,000.

If you and your partner have both reached State Pension age, the limit is £10,000.

If only one of you has reached State Pension age, the limit is usually £6,000. The limit is £10,000 instead if all of the following apply:

• one of you reached State Pension age before 15 May 2019

• the 2 of you have been claiming Housing Benefit as a couple since before 15 May 2019

• you don’t claim Universal Credit

What you need to tell your local council depends on whether you get the guarantee part of Pension Credit.

If you get the guarantee part of Pension Credit

Tell your local council if your partner or child’s benefits change, or they start getting a new benefit.

If you don’t get Pension Credit or you only get the savings part of Pension Credit

Tell your local council if:

• your partner or child’s benefits change, or they start getting a new benefit

• you get divorced, married or form a civil partnership

• your partner moves in or out

• your partner’s income goes up or down

• your partner’s savings go up or down

You should also tell the council if a child you’re responsible for:

• is over 16 and finishes their education or training course

• becomes 20 years old

• becomes 16 years old – if your children have separate bedrooms

• moves into your home

• moves out of your home, or you stop getting Child Benefit for them

Tell your local council if an adult you live with, like a flatmate or a child over 18:

• starts earning more or less money

• starts getting a new benefit, or their existing benefits change

You should also tell the council if someone moves into or out of your home.

If you have a lodger or boarder

You only need to tell the council if you change the number of lodgers or boarders living with you or how much you charge them.

A lodger is someone who lives with you and pays rent. A boarder is someone who lives with you and pays for meals, like breakfast every day.

If someone lives with you without an agreement to pay, you don’t need to tell the council if they give you money, for example to help pay the bills.

Tell your local council if someone starts getting Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment or the carer element of Universal Credit because they look after you – or if they stop getting it.

If you qualify for the ‘severe disability premium’ part of Housing Benefit, your Housing Benefit will change if someone:

• starts getting Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment or the carer element for looking after you – you’ll get less Housing Benefit

• stops getting Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment or the carer element for looking after you – you’ll get more Housing Benefit

This is because you can’t get the severe disability premium while someone gets Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment or the carer element for looking after you.

If you’re not sure whether you get the severe disability premium, check the letter that told you how much Housing Benefit you’d get. Contact your local council if you don’t have the letter.