Apply for Housing Benefit

If you are unemployed or on a low income and live in rented accommodation you could get Housing Benefit to pay all or part of your rent if you:

• live in supported accommodation and your landlord is either :

  • a housing association; or
  • a registered charity; or
  • a not-for-profit voluntary organisation; or
• have been placed in temporary accommodation by Kingston Council because you were homeless; or
• are of Pension Credit age

If the above does not apply to you, you will need to claim Universal Credit instead for help with your rent. You will still need to claim a Council Tax Reduction separately as this is not included in Universal Credit payments.

If you have over £16,000 in savings you won’t normally qualify for any housing benefit or Council Tax Reduction, unless you qualify for Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit).

How much will I get?

How much you get depends on your income and circumstances and whether you rent from a private or registered social landlord.

If you rent privately, we use Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to work out Housing benefits. You can find the Local Housing Allowance rates online that apply to you. If you are not sure how many bedrooms you are entitled to, use the LHA Bedroom Calculator.