RENT ALLOWANCE

What is Rent Allowance?

Rent Allowance is Housing Benefit that is paid to a person, or their Landlord, who is renting accommodation, which is not owned by Peterborough City Council and is within the Peterborough Unitary Authority boundary. Any Housing Benefit, which is awarded, can be paid in any of the following ways:

By BACS (direct credit) into a bank account or building society account of your choice,

every two or four weeks,

By BACS (direct credit) into your landlord's bank or building society account every four weeks.

Please note that you will need to have a bank or building society account in your name. If the above options are not suitable alternative arrangements may be agreed depending on your circumstances. Also if you do not pay your rent, this may result in your benefit being requested by your Landlord to be sent directly to them.

Please read this leaflet for guidance on opening a basic bank account.

The Opening a basic bank account (71kb) appears in Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. In order to view it you will need to have Acrobat Reader installed. (Those with visual impairments may wish to investigate Access Adobe, which provides tools and information to help make PDF files more accessible.)

Some existing claimants and landlords may still be paid by cheque, however our normal method of payment is now by BACS. To change your current payments to BACS (direct credit) please download, complete and return the BACS Form below.

BACS Form

(24 KB, 1 pages)

You can also report any missing cheque payments by using the Missing Payment Form below.

Missing Payment Form

(11 KB, 1 pages)

How will I know how much benefit I have been awarded?

When your claim is assessed a decision letter will be sent directly to you and your Landlord if it has been requested.

How much of the Rent I am charged by my Landlord will be taken into account?

This depends on each your individual circumstances and the housing benefit determination we receive from The Rent Service.

It will also depend on which scheme your claim will be determined.

If your claim is made on after 7 April 2008 your entitlement will be calculated based on the new Local Housing Allowance scheme.

If your claim was made before 7 April 2008 the following details will still be applicable.

About the Rent Service

The Rent Service is an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions. They provide valuations for local authorities in England, for use in the assessment of claims for Housing Benefit where the tenant is renting from a private landlord.

The Rent Service's Determinations

In making a determination the Rent Officer will consider

The level of rent
The rent for similar properties within the vicinity
The number of rooms
The age and number of people living within the property being assessed

The determination will usually run for 12 months unless there is a significant change to the property or the number of people included within the household.

Pre-tenancy determinations (PTD)

If you are claiming housing benefit and are planning to rent from a private landlord you can ask The Rent Service to make a valuation before you sign the tenancy agreement. You need to complete a pre-tenancy determination form. The form needs to be signed by you as the prospective tenant, and either the landlord or landlords agent, and returned to the Benefits Service. This form must not be sent direct to The Rent Service.

To learn more about The Rent Service click on the following link to their website and visit their Frequently Asked Questions section:

We will consider many things including the following:

http://www.therentservice.gov.uk/

Applying for a PTD for a property in the Peterborough area

If you would like to know what rent we will consider before you make a claim please visit our Customer Service Centre at Bayard Place. A member of staff will be able to give you a guideline as to the amount of rent, which can be taken into account. You will need to ask for a Pre Tenancy Determination. You can download a Pre Tenancy Determination application from here.

What happens if I am overpaid Housing Benefit?

You will be notified in writing of any changes to your entitlement. If as a result of a change in benefit, your entitlement is reduced or cancelled completely this may result in an overpayment of benefit.

This means that you have had more benefit paid to you, or your Landlord, than you are actually entitled to.

An invoice will be issued to you with the letter notifying you of the change and will advise you of the details of the debt.

If at this point you disagree with this change you can appeal against the decision.

You and your Landlord, if payment was issued to them, will be notified of how much overpayment you will need to repay.

Also

In certain circumstances it may be possible to add to the amount of Benefit awarded. If it is agreed that a person will have difficulty in paying their rent and or Council Tax liability extra payments of benefit can be awarded up to the maximum amount payable under the benefits scheme.

This is called Discretionary Housing Payments.

If you are not happy with the date used to start your benefit or you have not been able to apply before, you may wish to apply for Backdated Benefit.

If you are currently in receipt of benefit and have been out of work for a long time but are thinking of returning to work you may qualify for help with your rent for up to four weeks after you commence work.

This is called an Extended Payment.

If you are currently in receipt of Housing Benefit and are thinking of moving house but do not think you would be able to avoid an overlap of your old tenancy with your new one you may be able to claim Benefit on Two Homes.