Housing and Council Tax Benefit - Information for Landlords and Agents
I am a landlord/agent and would like more information about Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit?
You’ve come to the right place - this page is designed to help landlords and agents who want to find out more about the ins and outs of Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Whether you want to know more for your own interest or want to signpost your tenants to sources of information and advice, this page is your first step. You or your tenants can follow the links below to find out lots of useful stuff, including who can claim, how to claim, how we work out entitlement, what happens if circumstances change, etc…
The above are just some of the pages relating to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit that we think might be of particular interest to you, but have a look at our Housing and Council Tax Benefit Sitemap to see what other information is available.
As you’ll see if you’ve browsed the site already, the Benefit pages are written with tenants/benefits claimants in mind, however, we have also prepared some information specifically for landlords/agents…
If you’ve looked at our website, but want to know more go to Points of Contact for Benefits Help, for what to do to get further help and advice.
Rent Arrears
The Housing Benefit regulations say that if a tenant has rent arrears of eight weeks or more, we must pay you direct (if we are not already doing so), unless we consider it in the tenant’s best interest not to pay Housing Benefit directly to you.
If your tenant owes you eight weeks rent or more (this can include rent payable in advance) you should write to us, so that we can decide what action to take. You should tell us how much the arrears are and what period they cover.
Our address is:
Sheffield Benefits Service
PO Box 1310
Sheffield
S1 1UY
Alternatively, you can email us at benefits@sheffield.gov.uk (type ‘Rent Arrears’ on the subject line).
Landlords and Appeals
If you or your tenant do not agree with a decision we have made in respect of their claim, you may be able to ask for a reconsideration, or appeal. The appeal rights are different for landlords and tenants.
We will send you an acknowledgement when you appeal is received. Then write to you with our decision when we have reconsidered your appeal. The letter will explain what to do if you still disagree with us.
Landlords can only appeal against our decision relating to:
- Who we decide to pay Housing Benefit to
- Who we decide to recover an overpayment from
You cannot appeal about the amount of Housing Benefit awarded, the dates it’s been awarded for, or the rate it is covered at.
Tenants can ask for a reconsideration of any decision we have made about their claim. We tell them about their appeal rights in letters we send out.
Any appeal or request for reconsideration must be in writing and must be sent within one calendar month of the decision letter. Any appeal must give the reasons why you think our decision is wrong.
Landlords and Overpayments
If we have paid too much benefit, we can ask you or your tenant to pay the money back. We may recover the overpayment by:
- Taking money from the ongoing benefit of the person claiming (this is known as claw-back)
- Taking money from the payment we make to you for other tenants
- Sending an invoice to either you or your tenant
Disclosing Information
If we pay Housing Benefit to your tenant, we cannot give you any information about their claim, unless they have given us written permission to discuss their claim with you. We cannot even tell you if they have made a claim.
If we pay Housing Benefit to you, we can tell you:
- The date the benefit starts and ends
- The weekly amount of benefit and how often it is paid
- The amount we are taking from the benefit to recover an overpayment
- Details of any payment paid direct to you
If we pay your tenant’s Housing Benefit direct to your agent, we cannot give you any information. You will have to ask your tenant or agent for any information you need.