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If you rent from an association like 1066 Housing or rent a mobile home/caravan then the financial help we can give you towards your rent is called 'Housing Benefit'. This is paid directly to your landlord.
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If you claim Jobseeker's Allowance, you will get an Application Form with the Jobseeker's Allowance claim pack. If you are claiming income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, fill in the claim forms and take them with you to your New Jobseeker Interview.
If you are claiming contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance, you will need to contact us for a form. We are happy to help you if you have difficulty understanding or filling in the form.
If you get income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, you may get up to the maximum amount of financial help allowable. If you do not get income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, the amount of help you get depends on the amount of eligible rent or Council Tax that you pay, how many people live with you, your personal circumstances, how much money you have coming in and how much you have in savings.
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The amount of Housing Benefit you receive will ultimately be based on our Rent Officer's valuation of the house in which you're living. The Rent Officer also looks at the number of rooms you and your family occupy. If the accommodation is larger than you need, the Rent Officer will advise us of the market rent for a similar but more appropriately-sized property. This will normally be the maximum amount of Housing Benefit you can be awarded.
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The Rent Officer continually monitors the rentals marketplace. On receiving a referral, the Rent Officer either confirms that the rental amount is reasonable or determines the appropriate amount according to the market.
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Housing Benefit is normally paid directly to your landlord from the Monday after a claim is received. If you think you may be entitled you must claim immediately or you may lose benefit.
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Benefit will only be backdated if you can prove you had 'good cause' for not claiming earlier. It's also important to provide all the information requested on the application form to prevent delays in processing your claim.
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Even though they're not taken into account, you must still tell us about them.
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As soon as you have a rent agreement with your landlord, contact us and we will help you apply.
If you claim Income Support or Job Seekers' Allowance, you will get the relevant application form with your claim pack.
If you do not claim either of these, the forms are available from our Benefits Office or you can download them from the website.
You'll be asked to give proof of all your income and savings; proof of the rent you're being charged; proof of your identity and National Insurance Number. All documents provided must be originals; we won't accept photocopies.
This page last updated: 27/04/2010