Discretionary Housing Payments

Please read the information below before applying for an Discretionary Housing Payment.

What is a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)?

From 2nd July 2001 a DHP scheme was introduced to provide additional financial assistance with the payments of your Council Tax or Rent.

You cannot get additional help if you are already receiving full benefit which pays for your rent in full.

Payments are not part of your Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit. They are a stand-alone payment made by the authority.

The authority has a limited amount of money from which to make payments.

How much will be paid?

The amount of the award will depend on your individual circumstances. However a payment cannot cover the following

Charges for water rates
Parts of your rent not covered by benefit, for example, charges for fuel, hot water or meals.
Increases in rent due to rent arrears
Where another benefit you are receiving has been suspended.
Where another benefit you are receiving has been reduced because of an overpayment, or a sanction, has been applied.

Who can apply?

If you receive Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit you can request a Discretionary Housing Payment.

If you do not qualify for Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit you cannot receive a Discretionary Housing Payment.

How do I apply?

You can complete an online form which you can access by clicking here. Alternatively you can download and print a copy of the application form. This form is available in the “download” area to the right of this page.

If you would like an application form posted to you then please contact us to request one.

What information will I need to provide?

The form will ask you to explain why you are requesting additional help. It is important that you give as much information as possible to support your request.

You will be asked to provide a breakdown of how you spend your money. This should show how much you spend each week on items such as:

Food
Bills
Loans
Clothing
Transport

It is important that you identify and list all your household expenditure.

How will it be paid?

A payment will normally start from the Monday after we get your application. A payment will be awarded for a maximum of 13 weeks and can be reviewed at any time.

Payment will be made with your Council Tax Benefit and/or Housing Benefit.

You must tell us if any of your circumstances change as this could affect the amount of DHP you receive and may also affect the amount of benefit you are paid.

Where do I send the completed form?

If you are sending us a completed paper version of the form you can send this to:

The Revenues & Benefits Service

Maldon District Council

Princes Road

Maldon

Essex

CM9 5DL.

The on-line form will be submitted to us automatically.

What do I do, if I do not agree with your decision?

A DHP is not made as part of the normal Housing Benefit scheme. This means that you cannot appeal to the Independent Tribunal Service. The decision to award a DHP is totally discretionary.

Although each application is carefully considered on a case by case basis, the Council has a limited budget for these types of payments so therefore some requests for payment are refused.

If you do not agree with a decision you will be able to write to us and a Senior Officer will look again at your case and reply to you within 14 days either confirming or changing the original decision and providing reasons for this.

You must write to us within one month from the date of the letter telling you of our decision.

Where do I get advice?

You can get more information about DHPs and benefit advice in general by contacting us.

Click here for other places to get help.

What if my circumstances change?

You must let us know if you currently received a DHP and your circumstances change.

If you have previously applied and been turned down and your circumstances change, you may submit a new application.