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Benefits

What are Housing and Council Tax Benefits?

If you are on a low income, you may be entitled to some help in paying your Council Tax and/or your Rent.

The benefit paid to local authority tenants is known as rent rebate, whilst benefit paid to private sector tenants, including Housing Association tenants, is known as rent allowance. There is also a similar benefit paid towards Council Tax, this is known as Council Tax Benefit. The Government makes the rules but your local Council runs the scheme on your behalf.

What is the Eligible Rent?

Housing Benefit is paid on the eligible rent which may differ from the actual rent. Your actual rent may include charges for services provided.

Some of these are eligible for benefit, others are not eligible. We will deduct amounts for ineligible services from your rent to work out the eligible rent for benefit purposes. In order to prevent landlords from charging excessive rents and claimants from living in more expensive accommodation than necessary, there are complex regulations requiring local authorities to restrict excessive rents.

The Rent Service assesses the market rents of individual properties, so that excessive rents can be identified. The Rent Officers of the Rent Service are not employed by this Council and their decisions are totally independent, but are binding on the Council's Benefits Officers. The Council has no choice over whether or not it uses the rent figure calculated by the Rent Officer when assessing claims for housing benefit.

New rules introduced in October 1996 affect claims from under-25 single claimants; in these cases the maximum rent on which benefit is payable is the single room rent determination, which is calculated by the Rent Officer also. Many changes in this legislation are in response to concern at the escalation of Housing Benefit costs in recent years and are intended to encourage prospective tenants to negotiate rents with landlords.

From 2nd July 2001 a scheme of Discretionary Housing Payments has been introduced. These payments are intended to provide further financial help to people towards their rent and council tax, where they are experiencing financial hardship and/or have special relevant circumstances. To be able to receive such a payment, you must be entitled to some Housing or Council Tax Benefit in the first place. The amount the Council is allowed to spend on these payments is strictly limited by the Government and the amount changes each year.

Please contact the Council if you would like to claim such a payment.

Prospective tenants can by application to the Local Authority obtain details of the 'maximum rent' on which benefit will be calculated, in advance of agreeing to a tenancy.

This is known as a 'pre-tenancy determination'. It provides prospective tenants with details of the maximum amount which will be met by Housing Benefit for a particular property, but not the amount of Housing Benefit the person would receive, as this is further dependant upon other factors including the income and capital of the claimant.

The information would enable someone to try and negotiate a lower rent or choose between tenancies.
 

What is the Eligible Council Tax Payment?

People living in properties receive benefit up to 100% of the bill, but will receive less benefit if they have adults over the age of 18 living in the home.

Verification Framework - Please Help Us to Help You

The Government has issued guidance where the Council, when assessing a claim for Benefit, must ask for original proof of identity, income, benefits and capital of every household member, including non dependants and sub tenants.

So as not to delay the processing of any claim please try to send or bring original proof when you make your application as the Council cannot process any claim without such evidence. Photocopies are not acceptable. This is an initiative to ensure the Council pays the right benefits to the right customers.

Home Visits

If a person is unable to come to a Council office due to age, disability, sickness the Council may be able to visit these customers in their own home.

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council are committed to ensuring that people receive their correct entitlement to Housing and Council Tax Benefit and every effort will be made to deal with claims as quickly as possible.

However, it is important that people who are claiming Benefit to which they are not entitled to are reported to the Benefit Fraud Section. To report an instance of Benefit Fraud, please contact the Fraud Hotline on 0800 5873139. We will treat any information that you give us as confidential.    

If you have any queries on Housing and Council Tax Benefit then please contact the section.

The opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm except for Wednesday when the section is open 10am to 5pm.