Housing Benefit change in circumstances

Last Updated: 20 November 2023

Your Housing Benefit entitlement is based on the information you supplied on the most recent claim form. If anything happens which might affect how much benefit you get, you must tell us about any changes immediately. Contact details are at the bottom of this page.

It is now a criminal offence for a person, dishonestly or without reasonable excuse, to fail to notify us of a change of circumstances that they are required by regulations to report. This applies to landlords as well as claimants. 

You must tell us about the following changes:

• you start or stop getting Income Support, Job Seekers Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Pension Credit
• you start or stop getting Working or Child Tax credits
• the amount of money you or your partner gets changes
• the money non-dependants get changes
• there are any other changes in the money people in your home get.  For example, someone starts getting Personal Independence Payments

You must also tell us if:

• you change your address
• there is a change in your rent
• the number of people in your home changes
• you, or your partner, go into hospital
• you, or your partner, become a student, or stop being a student
• the amount of savings or capital you have changes

If you have a change in your circumstance which increases your entitlement to Housing Benefit and do not tell us within one month, the change will only be effective from the Monday following receipt of your notification in most instances. 

If the change reduces your entitlement it will be applied from the date of the change and we will require you to repay any benefit which you have been overpaid.