Local authority
Council Tax Reduction
Council Tax Reduction lowers your council tax bill if you are on a low income or get certain benefits. Each council runs its own scheme, so you apply to your local council and the rules depend on where you live.
Help with rent
Support with rent and what to do if you are at risk of losing your home.
What to check first
- Help with rent normally comes through Universal Credit rather than as a separate payment.
- If you rent privately, the help is capped by local rates that depend on where you live and how many bedrooms your household needs, not on what you actually pay. Council and housing association tenants are assessed on their actual rent, but can get less if they have a spare bedroom.
- If you are behind on rent or have been given notice, contact your council's housing team immediately — acting early gives them options that disappear later.
- A Discretionary Housing Payment can cover a shortfall for a period. You apply to your council, separately.
What you may be able to claim
Each of these has its own rules. Open a page to see what it is, who runs it, and where the official guidance lives.
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Department for Work and Pensions
Housing Benefit
Housing Benefit helps with rent if you are on a low income. Most people can no longer make a new claim and should claim Universal Credit instead; new claims are mainly for people over State Pension age or living in supported, sheltered or temporary housing.
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Department for Work and Pensions
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is a monthly payment to help with your living costs if you are on a low income, out of work or cannot work. It is replacing older benefits such as Housing Benefit and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Where to get help in person
We are an information site. If a decision has gone against you, or you are not sure what applies to your situation, free independent advice is available and it is worth using.
- Citizens Advice can look at your actual circumstances and help with forms and appeals.
- Your council's welfare or housing team runs local schemes that are not advertised nationally.
- Many charities run advice lines for specific conditions and situations.
None of them charge, and none of them will ask you to pay to make a claim.