To apply for Housing Benefit you will need to submit an application using our online application form.

You will need (for yourself and everyone in your household):

• personal information
• income, capital and benefit details
• an email address (required to save the form and receive the upload evidence link)

If you have all of this information the application should usually take no more than 30 minutes. You can save and return to complete your application using a reference number.

If you do not have internet access libraries are equipped with self service computers which residents can use to access the internet.

If you are unable to make a claim or attend the library due to ill health, and you need assistance from our visiting and welfare team, you can email your name, address and telephone number to visitingandwelfareemails@lbbd.gov.uk and a member of our team will contact you.

If you are applying on behalf of someone else, you will need to provide evidence of your authority to act on this persons behalf. 

Make a claim for Housing Benefit​

How to send supporting evidence​

After you have submitted the new claim form, then you will be provided with a link to upload evidence. The fastest and most convenient way for submitting all evidence, is by uploading evidence via the link provided when you submit the form.

All evidence required must be uploaded on the link provided at the same time, you will be unable to return to the link after you have submitted evidence through the link.

If you are unable to upload all evidence required at once via the upload documents link. Then you may send evidence to onlineclaim@lbbd.gov.uk you must include your name, address, and benefit reference number for us to link your documents.

​Universal Credit

​If you are not eligible to claim Housing Benefit you will need to claim the Housing Costs element within Universal Credit with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).​

Council Tax Support​

If you have a liability to pay Council Tax and are claiming Housing Benefit you can claim either Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support or both in the one application form.

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.