Benefits and debt advice
Help with the rent
You may qualify for help towards paying your rent through
housing benefit. This is available if you are not working or are on
low income. Please remember that paying your rent is your own
responsibility whether that is through personal contributions or
housing benefit being paid directly to Redland.
How to apply
Your local council administers the housing benefit scheme and to
make a claim you will need to complete one of their application
forms. You will need to provide two original documents to prove
your identify such as your birth certificate or driving
licence. You will also need to show your National Insurance
number.
If you are working, you will need to provide payslips for the
last two months or five weeks. You will also need to take proof of
any benefits you receive and any bank account statements. Please
make sure that all the people that live with you are included. You
will need to show proof of income for any people living with you
that are over the age of 18.
Your Housing Officer can help you to complete a housing benefit
application form and verify the information which you will need to
supply to support your claim. This should help to speed up your
claim.
If you are uncertain of how much housing benefit you may
receive, your Housing Officer will be able to estimate your
entitlement.
Change of circumstances
You must advise your local council's housing benefit office of
any changes that may affect your entitlement to benefit as soon as
they happen. This includes an increase in wages or benefits, or
people over 18 coming to live with you. If you do not do this
immediately it may result in housing benefit being overpaid and you
will have to pay it back.
Backdating housing benefit
It may be possible to have your housing benefit backdated to a
date prior to your application. In order to do this you will need
to show that you had a good reason for not claiming at the right
time.
Supporting People subsidy
This subsidy is also administered by your local council. If you
receive support from a Sheltered Housing Officer or an emergency
alarm system and receive housing benefit, you will be eligible to
receive Supporting People payments which are paid directly to us.
However, even if you do not receive housing benefit, you may be
able to get help with your support charge. The council will work
this out after carrying out a financial assessment of your
circumstances. We will be happy to help you to make an
application.
Debt and money management advice
Many people face problems with debt, even if they are managing
to pay the rent. Citizens Advice Bureaux can help you sort out debt
problems.
You can make an appointment with a specialist advisor, who will
check to see that you are getting all the benefits you are entitled
to and give you advice on how to better manage your money. This
advice given is totally independently.