Housing Benefit
Local councils pay Housing Benefit to people on low incomes to help them with their rent. If you are a private landlord it is expected that you keep proper records of rent due and payments made by tenants. As a landlord, you must provide your tenant(s) with confirmation of rent so they can claim Housing Benefit, if they need to.
The government has set standards to help prevent fraud and to ensure people receive the correct amounts they are entitled to. As a consequence of this, all documents provided must be original and not photocopies.
One or more of the following documents are acceptable:
The evidence must include:
-
Full name and address of the landlord or agent (if appropriate).
-
The date the agreement started.
-
The amount payable and what the charge includes (e.g. heating).
Housing Benefit can be paid to the tenant, the landlord (on behalf of the tenant) or to an agent who acts for the landlord. The tenant has to agree to any payments being made to their landlord or an agent acting on the landlord’s behalf.
There are different rules if your tenant is receiving Local Housing Allowance
Housing Benefits paid to landlords or letting agents are paid four weeks in arrears. If you have more than one tenant, you will receive one payment with a schedule showing the dates and amount of Housing Benefit paid to each tenant.
There could be delays in payment being sent out if:
-
The Housing Benefits section has not received a claim.
-
The tenant has not filled in the form properly.
-
Original documents have not been provided.
-
Further enquiries need to be made.
If your tenant’s circumstances change, the amount of Housing Benefit they are entitled to may alter (for example, if their income rises). This may result in an overpayment of Housing Benefit being made. As a landlord, you will be required to repay any overpayments that are made to you after a tenant has left your property.
Overpaid benefit can be recovered in the following ways:
-
We can send an invoice to you or your tenant.
-
We can recover it from future benefit payments we are making.
-
If the tenant moves to another address owned by the same landlord and an overpayment has been made at the old address, this may be recovered from benefit due at the new address.
Landlords must inform the Housing Benefits office in writing of any changes in their tenant’s circumstances, as soon as they are aware of them. For example:
-
If the tenant has moved to another address
-
The level of rent has changed
-
The tenant and his or her partner’s income has changed
-
The number of children/adults living with the tenant has changed
-
The tenant has left the property for a temporary period
-
The tenant leaves the property permanently.
Landlords who constantly fail to report changes may be classed as not ‘fit and proper’ to receive direct payments of Housing Benefit.
We cannot provide landlords with information about tenants’ Housing Benefits claims if we pay the benefit to the tenant or the landlord’s agent. However, we can provide landlords with the following information if Housing Benefit is paid directly to them:
-
The date benefit started.
-
The weekly amount of benefit and how often it is paid.
-
The amount we are taking directly from benefit to recover an overpayment.
-
Details of any cheque paid direct to you
Return to top
Landlords Newsletter
The Housing Benefit section produces a newsletter for landlords The newsletter provides up to date information about changes to housing benefit regulations or changes in the working practices of the service.
You can receive copies of the newsletter by contacting the Revenue and Benefits Liaison Team by phone (0116 238 5114) or email or you can download them .
The Revenues and Benefit Section arrange Landlord Forums every six months. Our last Landlord Forum took place on 29th November 2011 at The Adult Education Centre, Wellington Street, Leicester LE1 6HL.
Unfortunately our May 2012 forum has been postponed . We will publish the revised date when arranged .
The forum is a good opportunity to find out about government changes to Housing and Council Tax Benefit. We will continue to update you with this information . The forum is your chance to discuss your concerns and work with us to understand how the changes may affect you and your tenants and help to minimise risks and prevent homelessness in Leicester.
If you wish to attend please phone (0116 2385112) or email the Liaison Team.
Return to top
If you have a tenant who is in receipt of Housing Benefit and is in arrears, you can report the problem to the Revenues and Benefit's STEP Team .
-
The team is a specialist tenancies eviction prevention team set up within Revenues and Benefits .
-
Although Housing Benefit Regulations specify rent arrears should be eight weeks or more, the STEP team are prepared to consider any cases where rent arrears are four weeks or more. Housing Benefit payments are made every four weeks in arrears so your tenant may have some rent arrears between payments of Housing Benefit.
-
Please e mail with details of the level of your tenant's arrears, name, address, Housing Benefit reference (if known) and your contact number and the team will investigate and contact you.
-
You should be aware that Housing Benefit cannot be paid more than once for any given period. This means that it is very unlikely that we shall be able to re-issue any Housing Benefit payments already made to your tenant, even if your tenant has not used the payment towards their rent.
Before taking enforcement action for the collection of rent arrears (even when arrears are due to a delay in the payment of Housing Benefit) please make sure that you contact Leicester City Council's Housing Options Centre first. They can give advice and mediate between you and your tenant. They can be contacted on 0116 252 7008.
Benefit Fraud
If you or your letting agent suspect that a benefit fraud is taking place, please call the Revenues & Benefits Investigation Team on (0116) 238 5262. All calls are treated seriously and confidentially. Alternatively, you can email the Investigation Team.
Return to top
.
