Benefits & support - a brief guide

If you are on a low income, you may be able to get Housing Benefit or Local Housing Allowance and Council Tax Support to help towards your rent and council tax payments.

Housing Benefit

Housing benefit can cover or pay towards your rent if you:

• Pay your rent to the council
• Pay your rent to a registered social landlord, such as East Midlands Housing Association
• Live in a hostel, caravan, mobile home or houseboat
• Pay a rent that has been registered as a "fair rent"
• Have a tenancy that began before 1989
• Live in accommodation where a large part of the rent is for board and attendance

Housing benefit may also give you some extra money towards things you have to pay for, like children's play areas and the cleaning of communal areas.

Housing benefit cannot help with day-to-day costs. If your rent includes things like food, water charges, personal laundry or heating (other than for communal areas), these parts will not be included.

Local Housing Allowance

Local Housing Allowance can cover or pay towards your rent if you rent from a private landlord and make a new claim; have a break in an old, existing claim or move home in to privately rented accommodation.

Council Tax Support

Council Tax Support can cover or pay towards your council tax. It cannot help with water charges. 

More information

This website gives basic advice about the help available to pay your rent and council tax. We want to make sure that you and your family get the right help, at the right time, in the right way.

Follow the links below for more information.

If you have a question that is not answered on these pages, or if you just need more advice, please contact the benefits team.