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• What is housing benefit?

What is housing benefit?

You can get housing benefit to help pay your rent if you (or your partner) are on a low income. This is called a Rent Allowance.

To make a claim please contact us on the details below, or fill in this form Benefit Application Form.

Complete, sign and date the form and return it to the address shown. This form is not an E-form and cannot be returned electronically to Tandridge. You may email it to us at benefits@tandridge.gov.uk , however we still have to have all of the original supporting evidence before we can put the claim in to payment.
Housing benefit applies to rent you pay to the council or a private landlord. But it doesn't apply to rent or house-keeping you pay to relatives or friends. If you rent accommodation direct from the Council you can receive a rebate from your rent. This is called a Rent Rebate.

If you (and your partner) have savings or assets of more than £16,000, you cannot get housing benefit. This limit no longer applies to pensioners.

Examples of the type of rented accommodation you can be living in are:

• Furnished or unfurnished flat
• Bed-sit
• House
• Hostel
• Lodgings

Private sector rents (Rent Allowances) are determined as local housing allowance Local Housing Allowance unless the claim has been continuous since before April 2008. For earlier rents we do refer to the Rent Service who decides if the rent is applicable for the property,. It is that figure, less any deductions of ineligible items such as payments for amenities and personal services provided by the landlord and included in the rent for such items as gas, electricity and hot water.

For information on allowances the government can provide visit Department of Work and Pensions (This link will open in a new window)

For further information please contact Benefits on 01883 732900 or e-mail benefits@tandridge.gov.uk. You can also call the 24 hour automated telephone information service on 08459 400 470.

Or write to us at:
Tandridge District Council
8 Station Road East
Oxted RH8 0BT

Maps and directions to our offices.

Or get directions by public transport and car with Transport Direct (This link will open in a new window): 

If you have any comments about our services, please fill in our Contact us form.

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