Housing Benefit payments

Information on your Housing Benefit payment depending on your tenancy type.

Type of tenancy

How you will get paid will depend on whether you're a council or private tenant and it can also change if you are finding it hard to keep up with payments.

Council tenants

If you rent your home from us your Housing Benefit is paid straight into your rent account. We do not issue payments directly to council tenants.

Private tenants

If you are a private tenant and your Housing Benefit is being worked out using Local Housing Allowance (LHA) you will usually get the payment directly to your bank account.

In some cases we may decide to pay the landlord directly if:

  • we think you will have difficulty managing your finances
  • we don't think you will pay your rent
  • you're 8 weeks or more behind with your rent
  • it will help you keep your tenancy

We will make a decision based on each case. If we decide to pay the landlord, we will contact the landlord directly.