Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs)
Discretionary Housing Payments are payments made at the discretion of Local Authorities, in cases where additional help with Rent and Council Tax are needed. As a purely discretionary award, claimants are reminded not to automatically assume that it will be paid, and that normal appeal procedures do not apply. To receive a DHP you must already be in receipt of Housing/Council Tax Benefit, and the level of benefit already paid plus the DHP, must not exceed the weekly rent or weekly Council Tax liability.
The Government will tell the Local Authority how much it can award across the County Borough each year. Once we have reached the amount set by the Government, we may be unable to make any further DHP's for the rest of the year, or may have to reduce DHP’s currently in payment.
What happens after a DHP Application has been submitted?
If we decide that we can make a discretionary Housing Payment, we will notify you how much you will be paid and for how long.
If we decide that we can't make a Discretionary Housing Payment, we will write and tell you the reasons for our decision. If you do not agree with our decision, you can write to us and ask us to look at the decision again.
Duties of Claimants
A person in receipt of a DHP must give the Local Authority
- All the relevant information to allow it to make a decision
- Details of any changes in circumstances that may be relevant to their entitlement to receive DHP’s, and
- Any other information it may require in connection with their claim
How do I apply?
You can contact us by:
Please provide your name and address when requesting a form via E-mail, and also state which form you require.