Housing and Council Tax Benefit
Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit is a national welfare benefit which is
administered by the local authority on behalf of the Department for
Work and Pensions. It provides assistance with the payment of
rent to those who are on a low income.
Housing Benefit can be awarded to people renting their
property from Perth & Kinross Council, a private
Housing Association or private landlord for the house they
live in. As well as in other circumstances, Housing
Benefit does not provide assistance towards any housing
costs for a property which is owned by the applicant.
From April 2008, a new Housing Benefit Scheme known as
Local Housing Allowance was introduced for those renting from a
private landlord.
Council Tax Benefit
Council Tax Benefit is a national welfare benefit which is
administered by the local authority on behalf of the Department for
Work and Pensions. It provides assistance with the payment of
Council Tax to those who are on a low income and can be awarded in
two formats:
- Main Council Tax Benefit - available
for people liable for Council Tax for the property they live
in;
-
Second Adult Rebate - available for people liable
for Council Tax for the property they live in with another
adult on a low income.
Only one format can be awarded and this can only
provide assistance with the payment of Council Tax and does not
cover other charges such as water and sewerage.
Am I entitled to Housing and Council Tax Benefit?
Housing and Council Tax Benefit are both means tested
benefits which means that the amount that you can get will depend
on your household's circumstances.
Housing and Council Tax Benefit can both be awarded
unless your circumstances deem that you do not qualify
for one benefit but you qualify for the other. As well as
many other situations, you may not qualify for either Housing
and/or Council Tax Benefit if you are not held as liable for
rent and/or Council Tax, respectively.
When you submit an application for Housing and Council Tax Benefit,
an assessment of your income, savings and capital, liability
for rent and/or Council Tax and the financial circumstances of any
other person in your household will deem if you qualify for any
Housing and Council Tax Benefit.
Your circumstances may mean that you do not qualify
for the full amount which you are required to pay in rent
and Council Tax however you may be entitled to some
assistance.
If you feel you may be entitled to Housing and Council Tax
Benefit contact us for more information. When
calling into the office or by telephone, you should have
details of your household financial circumstances to hand as
we can use them to give work out roughly what you may
qualify for.
Maximum Eligible Rent
If you live in a privately owned home and apply for Housing
Benefit, it may be necessary for the Council to
refer the property to the Rent Registration Service. They will
advise of the maximum amount of benefit that could be paid for that
particular property. The decision taken by the Rent
Registration Service does not automatically mean that you will
receive that amount in Housing Benefit. We will take your
circumstances into account to determine how much of this
amount you could get.
The referral to the Rent Registration Service is now only
necessary for a small number of exceptional cases. From April
2008, Local Housing Allowance was introduced for
those renting from a private landlord and it's regulations
cover most of the applications.
How to Claim Housing and Council Tax Benefit
For information on how to claim Housing and Council Tax
Benefit, visit our How to Claim Section.
This authority is under a duty to protect the public funds it
administers, and to this end may use the information you have
provided for the prevention and detection of fraud. It may also
share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing
or administering public funds for these purposes. For further
information see the section of this website explaining issues around Data Protection, or
contact Perth & Kinross Council's Information Compliance
Manager by phoning 01738 477930.
