Changing address
You need to tell us straightaway if you move.
Continuing your benefit at your new address
You will probably want your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support to continue at your new address. You'll want to get them sorted out as soon as possible. We need all your new details. If you don't tell us you've moved, we may carry on paying benefit to the landlord at your previous address and you may find it hard to get this money from them to pay your new landlord.
Tell us about your change of address
Telling Jobcentre Plus or the Pension Service
If you get Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance or any other social security benefit you need to tell Jobcentre Plus straightaway too. If you get Retirement Pension or Pension Credit, tell The Pension Service straightaway. We always check if you are getting these benefits at your new address. If they don't know you've moved, this will hold up your claim.
Moving to private rented accommodation
If you move and rent your new home from a private landlord, the Local Housing Allowance rules may apply to you in your new home. If they do, we will work out your Housing Benefit using a flat-rate rent based on the number of bedrooms you need for your household and we will usually pay your benefit direct to you. You will have to arrange to pay your landlord the rent.
Checking your rent if Local Housing Allowance doesn't apply to you
If you are a private tenant and you move to a new address not covered by the Local Housing Allowance rules, we have to get a decision from the Valuation Office Agency (used to be called the Rent Service) on the level of your new rent. This may mean your benefit is not enough to cover your new rent. If you want to find out what the Valuation Office Agency says before you decide to take the new property, you can ask for a decision beforehand. This is called a 'pre-tenancy determination'. Download a pre-tenancy determination form, ask for a form by ringing 0161 234 5000 (between 8.45am and 4pm) or call at our Customer Service Centre at the Mount Street Entrance, Ground Floor, Town Hall Extension, Albert Square, Manchester M60 2LA. Your new landlord needs to sign this form too.
Speeding up your Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support claim
You can speed up your claim at your new address by filling in the online changes of circumstances form and providing all the evidence we ask for, including evidence of the rent you pay.
Please note that we can't help with deposits or rent you have to pay before you move in.