From what date do you usually pay benefit?
Housing Benefit is usually paid from the Monday after we receive the claim form.
Housing Benefit cannot normally be paid for a period before the tenant moves into the property, even where they have a liability to pay you rent before they move in. There are certain circumstances where we may be able to help, for example if there was an unavoidable delay in between their tenancy starting and them moving in, but your tenant would need to contact us for more information.
Your tenant can ask for benefit to be backdated if they have good cause for not applying earlier. However, we are limited to how far back we can pay benefit.
How is benefit paid?
Housing benefit is paid 4 weekly in arrears. Benefit is paid either by BACS, direct into a bank account or by crossed cheque directly to the claimant.
We cannot change the frequency that benefit is paid.
Remember, the tenancy agreement is between you and the tenant. If there are difficulties with payment of rent, the landlord's first point of contact is the tenant. If your tenant is having difficulties managing their finances, or they are more than 8 weeks in arrears, we may be able to consider paying benefit directly to yourself. From April 2011 the Council has more discretion to pay you directly, however this can only be done in circumstances where the rent has been reduced to a level similar to the existing LHA amount for the size of the home in order to help the tenant get a new tenancy or keep an existing one. To request payments to be made to yourself, either you or your tenant must ask us to do this, providing evidence of arrears or any problems they are experiencing (such as a letter from your tenant’s GP).
If we decide we can change the payments to be paid directly to you, you will continue to be paid 4 weekly in arrears, either into your bank account or by crossed cheque. We cannot change how often benefit is paid.
We cannot pay benefit for the same period twice, so any arrears that your tenant has built up while benefit was paid directly to them cannot be covered by Housing Benefit.
