Housing Benefit & Council Tax Benefit

The Housing Benefit Scheme

Most people who are on low incomes and rent their homes are entitled to receive Housing Benefit, which is largely funded by the Government.

The Housing Benefit Scheme operates as a rent allowance for private sector tenants and as a rent rebate for public sector tenants (council tenants and housing association / R.S.L tenants).

In South Ayrshire, the Housing Benefit Scheme is not administered by the housing department but by Benefit Services, who are part of the council's Chief Executive Department.

However, to give tenants easy access to the service, Benefit Services teams are based within the 6 Area Housing Offices and at County Buildings, Wellington Square, Ayr.

Benefit Services administer both Housing and Council Tax Benefit, claims are made using a single application form which covers both benefits.

Your Housing Benefit entitlement usually starts from the week after you hand in your form, although it may start from the first day of rent or council tax liability, if the claim is made on time.

If you are interested in claiming Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit, you should contact the Benefit Services Section at the appropriate area housing office as soon as possible.

To claim Council Tax Benefit contact us and we will then let you know what information we need to process your claim for Council Tax Benefit.

You can get more information about Council Tax Benefit by visiting www.dpw.gov.uk

You can download a Council Tax Benefit claim form in PDF format.

How to Claim Housing Benefit

To claim Housing Benefit :-

You must provide verification of your identification, National Insurance Number and verification of the income, savings & capital of you and everyone else over 16 in your household*.

It is important that the claim form is handed in as soon as possible at the start of your tenancy, since benefit can be made payable from the date it is submitted.

If you hand in your form without all the information required, you will receive a letter from Benefit Services, requesting further information. The letter will usually state how long you have to provide the information.

It is important that you provide the information within this timescale, or your application will be cancelled.

If your claim is cancelled you will need to submit a new form and you will be responsible for paying any arrears which may have built up.

Application Forms are available from the 6 Area Housing Offices listed below:

Area Housing Office	Address	Telephone/Fax
Ayr North	Riverside House 21 River Terrace Ayr, KA8 0AU	Tel: 01292 616009 Fax: 01292 287890
Ayr	County Buildings Wellington Square Ayr, KA7 1DR	Tel: 01292 616009 Fax: 01292 612579
Prestwick	2/6 The Cross Prestwick, KA9 1AN	Tel: 01292 671666 Fax: 01292 671970
Troon	Municipal Buildings South Beach Troon, KA10 6EF	Tel: 01292 311740 Fax: 01292 318009
Maybole	64 High Street Maybole, KA19 7BZ	Tel: 01655 884855 Fax: 01655 889621
Girvan	19 Knockcushan Street Girvan, KA26 9AQ	Tel: 01465 716130 Fax: 01465 716161

E-mail benefit.services@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

Opening Hours for telephone and public enquiries Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8.45am to 4.45pm, Friday 8.45am to 4.00pm

How your housing benefit entitlement is calculated

Your entitlement to Housing Benefit / Council Tax Benefit is calculated according to the following :-

1. How much money you have coming in from your household’s earnings and / or other income your household has coming in.

2. How much money you (& your partner, if applicable) have in savings or other investments.
If your savings are over £3,000 the amount of benefit you receive will usually be reduced on a sliding scale. However, people over 60 years old are allowed £6,000 in savings before any benefit entitlement is affected. No Housing Benefit will be awarded if your savings amount to £16,000 or more.

3 Your personal circumstances, e.g the numbers of dependants living in your household, whether you are disabled, etc.

4 If you are renting privately (i.e not from the council or other social landlord), the maximum rent level which the Housing Benefit system will support (See the “Private Housing Benefit” section below).

Private Housing Benefit

Council tenants, Housing Association tenants & tenant’s of other social landlords can qualify for some or all of their rent to be met by Housing Benefit.

However, if you are renting form a private landlord your rent might not be fully covered by Housing Benefit, even if you are on a very low income.

It is therefore particularly important that you contact the council’s Benefit Services staff to find out what level of rent is likely to be met by Housing Benefit before you agree to take on a private tenancy.

Staff can advise you if their are indicative rent levels for similar properties or they can give a precise “Pre Tenancy Determination” (PTD), which takes a few days. However, a PTD can only be given where the landlord has given written consent.

To get a rough calculation on how much rent you might expect to pay; you should contact your local Social Work Department or a Welfare Rights Officer:


South Ayrshire Council’s Welfare Rights Service

Welfare Rights provide advice on complex benefit issues as well as a host of other services. Contact should be made through the Duty Social Worker at your local Social work Office.

Where you need assistance with an appeal or more complex benefit enquiries, a referral will be made to the Welfare Rights officer. The Welfare Rights Officer will then contact you to arrange a further appointment.

Both the informal and advice given by should give you a clear idea of whether you will be able to afford the rent asked, after the Housing Benefit contribution has been allowed for.

Please note that Benefit Services staff are unable to do rough calculations for you.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR MOST SINGLE PEOPLE UNDER 25 !

This is the maximum amount that can be awarded, irrespective of the actual rent charged. Therefore any excess would need to be paid by you out of your own income.

If you are single, under 25 and on a low income you should seek advice from an advice agency or Benefit Services staff before accepting the accommodation.

Housing Benefit Reviews

Every claim for Housing Benefit will be reviewed at some time, even if your circumstances have not changed. The review will be carried out by either:

• A review form posted out to you
• You may be visited by one of the council’s visiting staff

It is vital that you complete the review form and return it, along with proof of your income etc, as soon as possible or provide the necessary information for the visiting officer
 
If you do not return your review form or allow a visit to be carried out, your housing Benefit claim may be cancelled. If you are a council tenant or Housing Association tenant you will be charged full rent from the date your claim is cancelled. This could lead to arrears building up in your rent account, which you will be liable for

If you are a private tenant your landlord will expect you to cover the rent from the date your claim is cancelled, if you don’t, your landlord could serve you with a Notice to Quit and/ or take legal action against you.

If you fill out a new claim form after your claim has been cancelled, your claim will only be backdated if you can prove you had “good cause” not to have claimed before

Right To Appeal

If you are not satisfied with the decision made on your Housing Benefit claim, you have the right to ask for the decision to be reviewed.

You should seek urgent advice form an advice agency such as Ayr Housing Aid Centre or a Welfare Rights Officer and / or make an appeal in writing.

Appeals should be made in writing within one month of receipt of your decision, stating the reasons why you are not satisfied with the decision, to the Benefit Services Section at your local Area Housing Office.

Further Information & Advice

Detailed information and advice on the assessment procedures for Housing Benefit will be given willingly by local advice agencies such as the Ayr Housing Aid Centre and the council’s trained Welfare Rights staff at the Kyle Street Social Work Office.

If you are a council tenant or R.S.L tenant your Housing Assistant or Housing Officer should be able to give you basic Housing Benefit Advice.

Ayr Housing Aid Centre
3A Holmston Road
Ayr
KA7 3BA
Tel : 01292 288 111

Welfare Rights Officer
67 Kyle Street
Ayr
KA7 1RS
Tel : 01292 281 993