About Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit is a national welfare benefit scheme that helps people on low incomes pay rent for the home they live in.
Rent rebate, rent allowance and Local Housing Allowance are other names for Housing Benefit.
In Manchester the Revenues and Benefits Unit run the scheme but the Government sets the rules.
The amount of Housing Benefit you can get depends on:
- your income;
- your savings or capital;
- the size of accommodation you need, if you are a private tenant and the Local Housing Allowance rules apply to you;
- the size and condition of your home, compared with similar homes in the area, if you are a private tenant and the Local Housing Allowance rules do not apply to you;
- the amount of your rent, or your Local Housing Allowance rate; and
- other people living with you.
If you are entitled to Housing Benefit we will usually pay it from the Monday after we get your claim.
We pay benefit for each week - a benefit week starts on a Monday and ends on a Sunday.
You only need to claim Housing Benefit once, after that we will contact you to check your information. We will also check our information against information held by pension companies, the Department for Work and Pensions and employers.
If your circumstances change you must tell us straightaway.
Download our leaflet 'Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit. How to claim help with your rent and council tax.'