Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction (also called
Council Tax Support)
Housing Benefit is a national welfare benefit whereas Council
Tax Reduction is a local scheme. Both of these are administered by
your local authority to help people on low incomes to pay their
rent and Council Tax.
- The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Benefits Service
staff are available to assist with all new and existing
claims Monday to Friday, from 8.30am to
5pm.
Calculating your entitlement
The amount of entitlement depends on your income and
capital and the amount of rent and Council Tax set for the
property you live in. There are also differences for people over
60, those who are self-employed or students. Please see the
Housing Benefit
pages for the
benefit calculator and Local Housing
Allowance entitlement calculator. To claim Housing Benefit
and/or Council Tax Reduction, visit How to
make a claim.
Changes to benefits
The Government is starting a major programme of welfare reform.
If you claim benefits you could be affected so it is important to
prepare for the changes. See changes
to benefits for more information.
If you would like to discuss your case you can phone the Housing
Benefit advice line: 020 7361 3006. Lines are open Monday to Friday
8.30am to 5pm. The Town Hall is open to offer advice Monday to
Friday 8.30am to 5pm.
Housing Benefit for private tenants is capped
Housing Benefit for private tenants is usually
paid under a scheme called Local Housing Allowance.
From April 2011 the maximum Local
Housing Allowance weekly rates in any area cannot be more than:
- £255.50 for anyone needing a one bedroom property
- £296.38 for anyone needing a two bedroom property
- £347.48 for anyone needing a three bedroom property
- £408.80 for anyone needing a four bedroom or larger
property.
For single customers under 35, Local Housing Allowance is
usually restricted to the shared accommodation rate, which is less
the capped one bedroom rate. To find the current shared
accommodation rate, or to see how much Local Housing Allowance you
might be entitled to, visit our Local Housing
Allowance page.
Extra help to pay your housing costs
Discretionary Housing Payment is a limited fund that the Council
can use to help residents whose Housing Benefit has been
restricted. Find out more on our Discretionary Housing Payment page.
Advice about grants, benefits and exemptions
The internet is a good source of advice. Libraries offer
internet access and the sites listed below will have the answers to
most questions. The Valuation Office Agency’s website shows
Local Housing Allowance values for the whole country allowing you
to see areas where the LHA values are less than the caps.
If you have access to the internet then you will find more
details by going to these websites:
Private landlord information
Landlords can find information here on what happens when a
tenant is claiming benefit and the responsibilities they may have.
There is also information on the Local Housing Allowance for
private landlords (see Housing
Benefit for more details).
Advice on other services
If you are looking for advice for businesses, families,
housing or parking, as well as other services the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea provides, please use the
links on the left of this page or return to the homepage.
Page last updated: 26/04/2013