You may be entitled to benefits to help with your housing costs if you are disabled, sick, unemployed or on low income. For further advice please call your local Citizens Advice Bureau or the Benefits Agency.
This is a Government Benefit which helps you pay your rent and service charges if you are on a low income. It is paid to you by the Council and can be paid direct to us if you wish. Housing Benefit does not always cover all your service charges.
Housing Benefit is paid four weeks after the due date. We strongly recommend you get your Housing Benefit paid directly to us to avoid getting into arrears.
You may be entitled to Housing Benefit if you receive other benefits like Income Support.
To claim Housing Benefit you must tell the Department for work and Pensions (DWP) that you are a private tenant paying rent to a housing association. You will be asked to fill in a form stating how much rent you pay. You can also get this from your Local Authority.
Fill in an assesment form from your local Council or our Customer Service Centre. You will need to give details of your income, the rent you pay and the size of your household. Send this to the Council with proof of the information including your original Tenancy Agreement (not a photocopy), bank statements and pay slips.
You are responsible for applying for and chasing up your claim with the council. Payments are not usually backdated so you should apply as soon as you move in to your new home or your circumstances change. Claims can take a few weeks to be assessed and you will be responsible for your rent in the meantime.
You can insist on interim payments within 14 days if you have supplied all the relevant documents and your claim is agreed. Contact the Customer Service Centre on 0800 358 7767 for details.
To see what you may be entitled to, visit the benefit calculator provided by the Guildford Borough Council website. Please note, this service is not provided by Thames Valley Housing and we have no control over or responsibility for information on this site.