Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit helps tenants, on a low income, pay all or part of their rent.

There are two types of housing benefits:

• rent allowance - if you rent from a housing association or private landlord
• rent rebate - if you rent from North Ayrshire Council

If you rent from a private landlord, visit our Local Housing Allowance page.

To qualify you must:

• be on a low income
• occupy the property as your home
• be the person responsible for paying the rent

You can only make a new claim for Housing Benefit if you:

• have reached State Pension Age
• live in supported, sheltered or temporary accommodation

Otherwise you should apply for Universal Credit if you need help with your housing costs.

If you're of working age, how much benefit you get depends on:

• your circumstances
• how much rent you're due to pay
• the number of bedrooms you need

Housing Benefit rules allow one bedroom for:

• every adult couple (married or unmarried)
• any other adult aged 16 or over
• any two children of the same sex under 16
• any two children regardless of sex under 10
• any other child
• a carer (or team of carers) who don't live with you but provide you or your partner with overnight care

This is known as the size criteria measure.

If the amount of benefit you're entitled to isn't enough to pay your rent, we may offer you Discretionary Housing Payment.

You'll need evidence to support your claim document.

For help or information, please contact us.

If you:

• are married, in a civil partnership or living with a partner, you can only make one claim for both of you
• live with other people, who you share the cost of the rent with, you can claim benefit - this will only be calculated on your share of the rent
• are away from home for a period of time we may still be able to help

To work out Housing Benefit entitlement we look at:

• all the money you and your partner have coming in, for example, earnings, benefits, tax credits, pensions
• savings document you and your partner have
• your circumstances

Payment calendar of Housing Benefit by BACS document.

The Council is under a duty to protect the public funds it administers. Thus, we may use the information you have provided for the prevention and detection of fraud.

We may also share this information with other bodies responsible for auditing or administering public funds for these purposes.

More information on the National Fraud Initiative is available.