Discretionary Housing Payments
What is a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)?
Discretionary Housing Payments are paid from a limited fixed Government fund they are not payments of Housing or Council Tax Benefit. Discretionary Housing Payments are made in addition to Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit; if we consider that additional help with housing costs is needed. They are paid from a limited Government fund where your current benefit award does not fully cover your Housing and/or Council Tax liability.
Certain conditions apply:
You must get some Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit. Your circumstances must be such that you need extra help with your Housing costs. If you only get Housing Benefit, we can only pay you Discretionary Housing Payments towards the cost of your rent. If you only get Council Tax Benefit we can only pay you Discretionary Housing Payments towards the cost of your Council Tax.
The maximum payment we can make is the difference between your eligible rent or Council Tax and the amount of benefit you receive (your eligible rent is your rent after deductions for services such as gas and electricity).
We cannot pay Discretionary Housing Payments towards:
Charges in your rent for water charges or for any amounts paid in addition to your normal rent to reduce your rent arrears.
We will not usually pay Discretionary Housing Payments if you can deal with your housing costs in other ways, for example by moving to cheaper accommodation or claiming other benefits. Even so, we may pay Discretionary Housing Payments for a short period to give you time to sort something out.
Each application will be considered on its own merits. The period of time that an individual award of Discretionary Housing Payment is made for will vary depending on your circumstances.
Discretionary Housing Payments are not part of the normal Housing or Council Tax Benefit Schemes. As the name suggests, payments are made at the Council’s discretion. There are no rules that give anyone the right to a payment, but we may be able to pay you Discretionary Housing Payments if it appears to us that you need extra financial help.
How do I claim?
You will need to complete a Discretionary Housing Payment application form.
You can download our application form by selecting the link in the Documents box on the right of this page or by clicking the link below.
DHP Application Form (16k PDF)|
Please complete and return this to us to the address shown on the form.
You can also request an application form by email, telephone or in person; our contact details are shown in the Contact Us box on the right of this webpage
Will I need to provide any further evidence or information?
It is important to remember that the award of Discretionary Payment depends on a person’s individual circumstances and is discretionary. In order for the award to be considered it is important to be aware that further information or proofs may be necessary to process your claim. Some people may find the information requested intrusive but it is important to remember that we will only ask for information that is necessary for a decision to be made on your claim.
Period of the Discretionary Payment
You will be notified of the decision and if awarded we will tell you the amount and how long the payment will be made.
Once an award has ended you may submit a further application, however, even if you have received payments in the past and your circumstances have not changed, this does not guarantee that payments will be made in the future.
What if my circumstances change?
When you receive a payment you must keep us informed of any changes in your circumstances as this may affect the amount of Housing or Council Tax Benefit that you receive.
What if I disagree with your decision?
Discretionary Housing Payments do not form part of the Housing & Council Tax scheme and therefore carry no appeal rights, however if you disagree with a decision we have made you can get in touch with us. We will look at our decision again in the light of any new facts you give us.
Contact Details - Do you need more information or advice?
If you have any queries or to request and application form, you can contact us by email through our dedicated benefits email address shown in the Contact us box on the right of this webpage.
We are open from 8.45am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday and from 8.45am to 4.30pm on Friday’s.