We offer a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to provide extra help with housing costs.  If you are already receive Housing Benefit, or the Housing Element of Universal Credit and this does not cover your rent and you are in financial hardship, you can apply.

Discretionary Hardship Support Policy (PDF, 385.46 KB)

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) provide extra money when you need help to meet your housing costs. It is a scheme intended to ease financial hardship. DHP is for residents who face a variety of financial difficulties. DHP helps with housing costs on a short term and temporary basis and gives residents time to find alternative solutions. There will be exceptional cases where a DHP is required in the long term; however, it should not be seen as a permanent solution.

DHP is not a benefit and the Council has a limited amount of money each year for those who need extra financial help. You do not have a statutory right to receive a payment. 

You must make a formal claim for DHP before we can consider making an award.

Eligibility

We’ll look at your circumstances and decide whether your eligible. 

1. You must be in receipt of Housing Benefit from The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham or receive the Housing Cost element as part of your Universal Credit award to apply for a DHP.
2. You must have been a resident of London Borough of Barking & Dagenham for 3 months before applying or placed in temporary accommodation outside of the borough by our homeless team.

Circumstances we will consider are issues such as:

• if you’re in danger of eviction and homelessness
• you’re undergoing life changing circumstances that significantly affect your household
• you or a household member have significant health problems which could increase living costs your Housing Benefit of Universal Credit award has been reduced by the benefit cap

Rent in advance, deposits and moving costs

A DHP may be awarded for rent in advance, a deposit and/or moving costs to support residents to move to more sustainable accommodation. This is to help prevent homelessness, but we will consider whether the new property is appropriate and affordable, therefore you must apply before you move.

Where this is the case we will need to check if you:

• are due to have a deposit or rent in advance in respect of your existing tenancy returned to you
• have been refused assistance from the Council through a rent deposit guarantee scheme or similar

You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for rent in advance and/or rent deposits by uploading the following evidence during the online application process:

• official evidence from a landlord/letting agent that they have agreed to let the property to you and evidence of the costs of the rent deposit, rent in advance and ongoing contractual rent costs before you move, so that affordability can be considered
•  two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children

You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for moving costs by uploading the evidence during the online application process:

• two quotes from different removal companies are required. These must be official quotes (letterhead or digital document) from the removal company before you move, so that affordability can be considered
• two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children

Current rent costs or rent arrears

A DHP may be awarded for current rent costs if you are struggling to meet your current rental liability and Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing cost element does not cover your full rent costs (excluding ineligible service charges). Ongoing affordability will be considered before any DHP is awarded.

A DHP may be awarded towards rent arrears if you can provide evidence of how the arrears were built up and when, and you can show that you have been unable to meet your rent costs which has led to the arrears. Ongoing affordability will be considered before any DHP is awarded.

You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for a DHP for assistance with current rent costs or rent arrears by uploading the evidence during the online application process:

• two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children
• if you are not a Council Tenant, you will need to provide evidence of your current rent costs and proof of any rent arrears and/or eviction notice by uploading the evidence during the online application process. (Council tenants are not required to provide this evidence as it is held on our system for us to check)

How to claim a DHP

The council have launched one application form for all current discretionary funding schemes. 

The Council Welfare service currently administers and operates three discretionary funding schemes of which there is one online application form for all schemes:

• Discretionary Council Tax Relief Scheme (DCTR)
• Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)
• Household Support Fund (HSF)

Applications for all discretionary funding schemes must be made online and we will only consider your application against each scheme that you apply for. Evidence must be uploaded before submitting the application online. The online application can also be treated as a claim for Council Tax Support and Free School Meals where there is eligibility and entitlement unless you do not wish to receive these additional benefits. 

Before you submit your application, make sure you complete the form in full and upload all evidence needed (as indicated on the evidence checklist in the application form) to support your claim and avoid delay. If you fail to provide evidence needed in support of your application, your claim will be refused with no appeal rights.

If you are unable to make a claim online, then support to complete forms is also available from the Council’s digital champions volunteers who are available at local libraries and community HUBS. 

The Homes and Money Hub may also be available to provide support on making an application if the criteria is met.  

You must give authority to act to anyone completing an application on your behalf.

Our outreach visiting service can support to make an application only if the following circumstances apply:

• the applicant is disabled and
• is unable to leave the home as a result of that disability and
• is unable to complete the claim as a result of that disability and
• no family member, friend or other suitable person is available to assist the applicant
• has any other legitimate barrier to the completion of an application requiring support 

If all of the above apply, then please email visitingandwelfareemails@lbbd.gov.uk you’re your contact details and details of which scheme that you wish to apply for and reasons for applying. 

The level of payment will be decided by the Council. If Discretionary funding is awarded, we may provide budgeting advice and work with you the customer and develop an action plan to move towards your affordable long-term solution.

Apply for Discretionary Financial Support

If you disagree with our DHP decision

There is no right of appeal against a DHP decision. You can however ask us to look at the decision again. If your circumstances change, you can reapply. There is no limit on how many times you can claim a DHP.

Discretionary Housing Payments guidance (PDF, 170KB)

Housing Benefit

Revenues and Benefits, Town Hall, 1 Town Square, Barking, IG11 7LU

020 8227 2970

benefits@lbbd.gov.uk

Please note this office is not open for enquiries or document drop off and original documents should not be sent by post to us.

Personal information

The personal information we collect from you will be shared with fraud prevention agencies who will use it to prevent fraud and money-laundering and to verify your identity. If fraud is detected, you could be refused certain services, finance, or employment. Further details of how your information will be used by us and these fraud prevention agencies, and your data protection rights, can be found on the Cifas website.