Housing Benefit

Housing benefit

A simple guide to Housing Benefit and Universal Credit housing element for renters

Updated July 2025. 

Housing Benefit is money to help us pay rent if we are on a low income. It can also help with some service charges.

Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit (UC). Now, we will receive the housing element as part of our monthly UC payments. 

But some people can still get Housing Benefit instead of UC. We might still be able to claim Housing Benefit if:

  • We are single and over pension age
  • We are a couple and both over pension age
  • We live in temporary accommodation
  • We live in supported or specified accommodation (like a hostel or special housing).To get Housing Benefit for supported housing, two things must be true:
    • Our landlord must be a housing association, charity, council or voluntary group
    • We must get care, support or supervision where we live

    If we don’t meet these conditions, we need to apply for Universal Credit for help with housing. If we do meet these conditions, we can apply for Housing Benefit for housing costs and Universal Credit or Pension Credit for living costs. 

    How Much Can We Get?

    How much help we get depends on something called Local Housing Allowance (LHA). This is not a benefit we apply for, but it sets the limit on how much we can get for housing.

    LHA depends on:

    • Our age
    • Who we live with
    • Rent prices in our area
    • If we have a disability or need care
    • How many bedrooms we are allowed

    Use this tool to check the LHA in our area:
    LHA Rate Finder

    Bedroom Tax

    If we rent from the council or a housing association, we might get less Housing Benefit or Universal Credit if we have more bedrooms than we need. This is called the Bedroom Tax.

    We lose:

    • 14% of our eligible rent if we have 1 spare room
    • 25% if we have 2 or more spare rooms

    This applies if we:

    • Are aged 16 to state pension age
    • Get Housing Benefit or the housing part of UC
    • Live in social housing (like council or housing association homes)

    Check how Bedroom Tax affects us here:
    👉 Bedroom Tax Calculator

    Some people are exempt from Bedroom Tax. See if we qualify here:
    👉 Bedroom Tax Exemptions

    What Housing Benefit Does Not Cover

    Housing Benefit does not help with mortgages or home loans. But we might get a loan for mortgage interest if we’re on Income Support, income-based JSA or ESA, Pension Credit, or Universal Credit.
    More on that here: Support for Mortgage Interest Loan – Turn2us

    Also, Universal Credit does not cover council tax. We must apply to our council separately for help with that.
    Info here: Council Tax Support 

    What If It’s Not Enough?

    If our Housing Benefit or UC housing part doesn’t cover the full rent, we can ask the council for extra help. This is called a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP).

    We need to apply through our local council:

    Image: Watchara Ritjan / Shutterstock