Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit:

Housing costs (rent and council tax) form a large part of most people's expenses. If you are on a low income these costs can be difficult to manage. Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council provides a Benefits Service to help people meet their housing costs.

The following pages explain how to apply for help to pay your rent and council tax, the types of information and evidence you will have to provide, how payments will be made and how to appeal.

Housing Benefit for Private Sector Claimants is changing with effect from April 2008.

The changes only affect private sector tenants who make a new claim or move house on or after 7th April 2008.

Local Housing Allowance will not apply if:

• a property is rented from the council
• the landlord is a housing association
• the rent has been registered as a ‘fair rent’
• the tenancy started before 1989
• the tenant lives somewhere where they are provided with care, support or supervision
• the tenant lives in a caravan, mobile home or houseboat.

How is Housing Benefit changing?

As a private sector tenant any Housing Benefit paid will be called Local Housing Allowance. In most cases the Local Housing Allowance will be paid to the tenant – not to the landlord.

How will the Local Housing Allowance be calculated?
The amount will depend on:

• the number of bedrooms needed. The rules say how many rooms are needed, based on how many people live in the property.
• the area the property is in. The local council area may be divided into areas by an independent rent officer.
• the income coming into a household and any savings or capital held
• whether there is someone who is not a dependant of the tenant but who is living in the property

Local Housing Allowance rates 2008

The following information leaflets are available:

HB(LHA)1 Local Housing Allowance - an introduction

HB(LHA)2 Working out you Local Housing Allowance

HB(LHA)2CL Working out your Local Housing Allowance if you are a care leaver under 22

HB(LHA)2CP Working our your Local Housing Allowance if you are a couple

HB(LHA)2OT Working our your Local Housing Allowance if you are single and aged 25 or over

HB(LHA)2SD Working out your Local Housing Allowance if you are severely disabled

HB(LHA)2UT Working out your Local Housing Allowance if you are single and aged under 25

HB(LHA)3 Local Housing Allowance tenants who are likely to have difficulty paying their rent

HB(LHA)4 Local Housing Allowance - information for private landlords

HB(LHA)6 Local Housing Allowance - rights and responsibilities

HB(LHA)7 Local Housing Allowance – reviews and appeals

HB(LHA)8 Local Housing Allowance – money advice for tenants

HB(LHA)9 Local Housing Allowance – local bank accounts

LHA Safeguard Policy

REPORTING BENEFIT FRAUD

It is estimated that every year benefit cheats cost around £2 billion in stolen benefits, this is money that could be spent on improving services for people in real need and it's your taxes that are paying for their luxuries. The total cost of this fraud is equivalent to £80 a year from each family in Great Britain.

Fraudsters cost your Council money each year in fraudulently claimed Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council is determined to stamp out fraud and has a dedicated Benefit Counter Fraud Team committed to preventing, detecting and eradicating Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit fraud. All investigations are carried out with integrity and in a professional manner by trained staff.

Benefit fraud is a criminal offence and if we think someone is fraudulently claiming benefit we will investigate the claimant's circumstances. In certain situations, for example where we suspect third party collusion, we may also investigate the landlord and/or employer.

If we have evidence that someone is committing benefit fraud we may prosecute the offender or apply a formal caution or a penalty as an alternative to prosecution. In any event we would be looking to recover the total amount of benefit overpaid.

How you can help us in our fight against benefit crime?

Benefit fraud is not a victimless crime and affects all of us.

You may be committing a crime and may be prosecuted if you help people to lie to us.

SAY NO
If someone asks you to sign a tenancy agreement to say they are charged more rent than they are paying

SAY NO
If someone asks you to sign a letter stating that you are charging them rent when you are not

SAY NO
If someone asks you to sign a form to say they earn less than you are paying them

SAY NO
If someone asks you to lie for them in anyway

IF YOU SUSPECT SOMEONE IS COMMITTING BENEFIT FRAUD:

Call us in confidence on the Council’s Benefit Fraud Hotline on O800 1954747, which is a 24-hour free phone service or Call the National Shared Fraud Hotline on 0800 328 6340 or Textphone 0800 328 6341 or e-mail us on benefit.fraud@berwick.gov.uk

or report your suspicions by completing and posting back the request for a benefit investigation form by clicking on the link below

or report your suspicions in writing too:

Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council,
Counter Fraud Investigation Section,
Council Offices,
Wallace Green,
Berwick-upon-Tweed.
TD15 1ED.

or

PO Box No. 647
Preston
PR1 1WA.

Information that you provide is extremely important to us and it is always helpful to the investigator if you can provide as much information as possible, the more detail received the more likely the investigation will have a successful outcome.

•  Select this link for our Benefit Fraud Sanction Policy
• Select this link for our anti-fraud policy

WITH YOUR HELP WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Housing and Council Tax Benefits :

• Appeal against Housing Benefit Decision
• Claim for Backdated Benefit
• Change of Circumstance / Move Form
• Request for Benefit Investigation (suspected Fraud)
• Claim for overlapping Benefit
• Rent Details
• Pre-Tenancy Determination
• Landlords information leafleat
• Self Employed Income form