Finance and Asset Management Service

DISCRETIONARY HOUSING PAYMENTS

Background

Discretionary Housing Payments are not payments of Housing or Council Tax Benefit and are covered by the Discretionary Financial Assistance Regulations 2001.

Payments may be made by the way of financial assistance to claimants who:

• are entitled to housing and/or council tax benefit; and
• appear to require some financial assistance in order to meet housing costs.

Under these regulations the authority has the discretion:

• as to whether or not to make payment in particular cases; and
• as to the amount and period of award.

What are Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs)?

DHPs are extra payments to help pay rent, council tax or both. We give DHPs to people claiming benefit who need more help with their housing costs, if these are more than the amount of benefit they get.

The Government give us an amount of money to pay out each year as DHPs and we cannot spend more than this.

We cannot give DHP’s for the following:

• Service charges not covered by Housing Benefit;
• To cover any shortfall in Housing Benefit that occurs due to an overpayment being recovered;
• When your Housing and Council Tax benefit payments are suspended;
• Rent if you are only entitled to Council Tax Benefit;
• Council Tax, if you are only entitled to Housing Benefit;
• If the only benefit you get is Second Adult Rebate;
• To pay a rent that is clearly excessive.

How do I apply for a DHP?  

• You must complete our Application Form;
• You can only apply for a DHP if you are currently entitled to Housing or Council Tax Benefit.

How do you decide if I can have a DHP?

We look at the following things when we make a decision.

• Your income;
• Your savings;
• If anyone in your house or family can help you financially;
• If you have outstanding loans or debts;
• If you could manage you money better;
• If you or anyone in your family is ill or disabled;
• If you have made an effort improve your situation.

We ask you for a lot of information and if we need more we will write to you for it.

How much can I get and how long for?

How much you get depends on your circumstances. We look at each case individually. We can pay DHPs for different periods of time. However, there is no guarantee that you will actually get a payment.

How will you pay the DHP if my application is successful?

If your application is successful, we will usually pay your DHP with any Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit that you get, although a DHP is not a benefit payment.

What should I do if I disagree with your decision?

If you disagree with our decision, you should write to us within one month of the date on the decision letter, telling us why you do not agree with our decision. We will look at your application again and write to you with our decision

You cannot appeal to the appeals Tribunals Service if you disagree with our decision not to pay you a Discretionary Housing Payment.

What if my circumstances change?

If your circumstances change you must tell us within one month. We will then look at the DHP we awarded and see whether it needs to be changed. We might be able to pay you more.

But if we think you should get less. You might have to pay back some or all of the DHP we have paid.