In some cases, the amount of benefit that you are awarded may not meet your rent or your council tax in full and you may struggle to meet these. In some cases, we can make an additional award called a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) towards from a cash limited fund.

Who can claim Discretionary Housing Payment?

To claim for Discretionary Housing Payment:

• The claimant must be in receipt of the minimum amount of Housing Benefit and/ or Council Tax Benefit
• Income must be lower than essential items of expenditure
• The shortfall must be unforeseen, for example, a relationship breaks down

How to apply

To make an application for a DHP, you need to complete an application form. Your request will be considered by a Senior Officer who will notify you of their decision in writing, within 10 working days. Any award is made along with your normal Housing Benefit payments and any Council Tax DHP is credited to your Council Tax account.

What if my circumstances change?

If an award has been made from the Discretionary Housing Payment fund for you and you have a change in your circumstances, your award will normally come to an end and you will need to re-apply if you wish to continue to receive this help.

What if I disagree with your decision?

If you disagree with our decision, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again. If you wish to appeal, you should do so in writing, setting out why you think our decision is wrong and giving us any additional information you can. The Head of Revenues and Benefits will then review the decision and you will be notified in writing.

Because the fund is discretionary, it is outside of the normal scope of Housing and Council tax benefit and so an appeal cannot be made to the Tribunal Service as it can with other decisions that we make.