What is housing benefit?
Housing Benefit is paid by your local authority and is a contribution towards your rent payments. You can claim Housing Benefit if you are over 16 years of age, are liable to pay rent and have an income below a certain level.
How much will I be entitled to?
The amount of Housing Benefit you are entitled to depends on your income, rent and savings. It also depends on whether other people live with you in the property (i.e. partners and children). For an estimate of what you may be entitled to please click below.
How do apply for housing benefit?
You should contact your local authority's Housing Benefit team for information on how to make a claim. Please see the section below 'contacting your local Housing Benefit office'. Our Rents team can also advise you on this.
Can you help me make a claim?
Yes, if you are having difficulty making a claim and require assistance, please contact our Rents team on 0800 035 22 11. Alternatively, you can also visit your local Housing Benefit office.
How will my Housing Benefit be paid?
You can ask for Housing Benefit to be paid directly to us. We can then monitor the payments and inform you should your Housing Benefit payments stop.
What should I do if my situation changes?
You must inform Housing Benefit immediately if your income or household changes. If you fail to disclose any changes in your circumstances, you will be liable for repayment of any overpaid Housing Benefit you received or that was sent directly to us. Please also inform us by phoning our Rents Team or email rents@irwellvalley.co.uk We can offer you help and support and refer you to external agencies where necessary.
Bedroom Tax
Since April 2013, the amount of housing benefit you can claim has been reduced if you are of working age and have a spare bedroom.
What is a spare bedroom? The new rules mean you will be allocated one bedroom for each person or couple living as part of the household. There are exceptions:
If you have one spare bedroom, your housing benefit will be cut by 14% of the rent you pay every week. If you have two or more spare bedrooms, you will lose 25%. If your benefit is cut, you will have to pay the difference between your housing benefit and your rent.
If you are affected by bedroom tax, it is important that you continue to pay your rent in full. We are here to help. Please contact us if you will struggle to pay in full.
Housing Benefit arrears
If your rent account is in arrears because of a delay in your local authority processing your claim for benefit, it is your responsibility to contact them and pursue your claim. You must also notify the Rents Team.
If you have any queries about your rent and/or your Housing Benefit, please call our RentsTeam on 0300 561 1111 (this is included in any inclusive calls made from a mobile and low cost for all landlines) if you are experiencing problems with your Housing Benefit claim.
Please see below for the local Housing Benefit Offices in Greater Manchester.
| Trafford Borough Council PO Box 65, Sale, Trafford M33 6BY www.trafford.gov.uk Tel 0161 912 2220 Fax 0161 912 2369 Email: benefits@trafford.gov.uk |
Bury MBC Housing Benefit Department, 7 Whitaker Street, Radcliffe, Manchester www.bury.gov.uk Tel 0161 253 5858 Fax 0161 253 7168 Email: benefits@bury.gov.uk |
| Manchester City Council The Benefits Service, Manchester City Council, PO Box 3, Manchester M15 5BA www.manchester.gov.uk Tel 0161 234 5003 Fax 0161 455 1130 Email: benefit.enquiries@manchester.gov.uk |
Bolton MBC |
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Salford City Council |
Stockport MBC |
| Rossendale Borough Council One Stop Shop, The Business Centre, Futures Park, Bacup OL13 0BB www.rossendale.gov.uk Tel 01706 217 777 Email:generalenquiries@rossendalebc.gov.uk |
Pendle Council Market Street, Nelson, Lancashire BB9 7LG www.pendle.gov.uk Tel 01282 661 800 Fax 01282 661 630 Email: benefits@pendle.gov.uk |
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Tameside Council |