Contact Us
Email:
Benefits@thanet.gov.uk
Phone:
from 9am to 5.30pm. If your family name begins:
A-Don call (01843) 577554
Doo-Ker call
(01843) 577555
Kes-Ric call
(01843) 577556
Rid-Z call (01843) 577551
Fax: 01843 577532
or Visit our
offices
Discretionary Housing
Payments
Discretionary Housing Payments are extra payments made to top-up
your Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit (or both). They are
paid as well as your normal benefit entitlement. As Discretionary
Housing Payments are not payments of benefit, we are able to decide
who to give this extra help to, and how much to give.
Who can get Discretionary Housing Payments?
Anyone, as long as you are getting either Housing Benefit or
Council Tax Benefit (or both). You can apply for extra money only
for each sort of benefit that you get. There are no set
circumstances, but you will need to prove to us that you are in
need of further help.
We are given a limited amount of money by the Government to make
these extra payments, so we have to be very careful how we award
it. Once this money has been used up we will not be able to give
extra payments, however good your reasons are.
How much can I get, and how long for?
The amount of Discretionary Housing Payment you get, and length
of time it is given to you, is decided by us. It can start and stop
at any time during your claim, and may be backdated.
The amount that we pay you, when added to your Housing Benefit,
cannot be more than your full rent less any services that benefit
will not pay towards.
The amount that we pay you, when added to your Council Tax
Benefit, cannot be more than the total Council Tax charged for your
home.
How do I apply for these extra payments?
Please write to the Benefits Service for a Discretionary Housing
Payment form.
After you fill in and return this form to us, we will write
telling you of our decision.
What can I do if I am unhappy with your decision?
If you are unhappy with our decision you can appeal against it.
Your appeal must be in writing, and must be received by us within
one month of the date of the letter we sent you telling you of our
decision. You must give us the reasons why you are unhappy with our
decision.
A Senior Officer will then look at your appeal, and we will
write to you again telling you of our decision.