Money and benefits

Discretionary Housing Payment: who gets it and how to apply

A Discretionary Housing Payment is extra money from your council when Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit doesn’t cover your rent. In England it has been called a Housing Payment since 1 April 2026. You apply to your council, it decides how much and for how long, and you don’t pay it back.

England only · Checked against GOV.UK on 23 October 2026 · Independent, not a government service

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What changed in April 2026

Discretionary Housing Payments ended in England on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 they became the Housing Payment part of the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which runs to March 2029. The rules closely follow the old ones: the same people can get it, for the same kinds of costs. Councils must call it a Housing Payment, so look for that name on your council’s website.

Who can get one

You are entitled to Housing Benefit, or to Universal Credit with the housing costs element. Waiting for your first payment counts.
You still need more help with your housing costs than your benefit gives you.
You don’t have “no recourse to public funds” on your visa: people who do can’t get a Housing Payment.

If you aren’t entitled, or the council’s Housing Payment budget has run out, ask about a Crisis Payment from the same fund instead.

What it can and can’t pay for

It can pay for:

The gap between your rent and your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing amount, including a gap caused by the Local Housing Allowance, the benefit cap or the spare room rules.
Rent in advance and a tenancy deposit when you move.
Removal costs and other costs of setting up a new tenancy, including moving somewhere smaller or cheaper.
Rent arrears, if your benefit didn’t cover the rent when you fell behind.

It can’t pay for:

Service charges that Housing Benefit or Universal Credit don’t cover.
A shortfall caused by a benefit sanction or suspension, or by the recovery of an overpayment.
Rent increases caused by rent arrears.
The gap between your council tax support and your council tax bill.

How to apply

Find your council on GOV.UK’s Find your local council page. It is the council for the area where you rent, the one that sends your council tax bill.
On the council’s website, search for “Housing Payment”. Councils had to rename their schemes, so “Discretionary Housing Payment” or “DHP” may only find an old page. Some list it under the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Read the council’s Housing Payment policy if it publishes one. It says what the council will help with and for how long.
Fill in the form. Every council must offer at least two ways to apply, such as online, by phone or in person, so ask if you can’t use the form.
Send what the council asks for, usually a rent statement or tenancy agreement and recent bank statements for every account.
Wait for the decision in writing. If it is a yes, it should say how much, for how long and when it ends.

Councils must take applications all year round, and someone can apply for you: a friend, a relative or an advice charity.

What to put in your application

Your household’s income and spending, honestly and in full. The council uses this to work out the shortfall, and asks about savings too.
Why your benefit doesn’t cover the rent: the Local Housing Allowance rate, the benefit cap or the spare room rules.
If you are behind on rent or at risk of eviction, say so, and send any notice or court papers from your landlord.
Anything that makes your costs higher, such as a disability, a health condition or a long journey to school.
What you are doing about it: looking for cheaper rent, more work or more income. Payments are meant to give you time to sort things out.

Why so many renters need one

In private renting, the most Housing Benefit or Universal Credit pays towards rent is the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) for your area and the size of home you are allowed. The rates haven’t risen since April 2024, while rents have. On our figures for April 2026 to March 2027, in the typical council in England LHA covers 76.5% of the average two-bedroom rent, leaving £226 a month to find. It covers less than 80% in 220 of 294 councils.

Find the LHA rate for a postcode, look up the rates for each area, or see the gap in every council. Before you agree to a tenancy, compare the rent with the rate: a Housing Payment is usually short-term, so the gap is yours to cover once it ends. Our rent affordability calculator helps you see what you can manage.

What is a Discretionary Housing Payment?

Extra money from your council towards your housing costs when Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit doesn’t cover them. In England it has been called a Housing Payment since 1 April 2026, as part of the Crisis and Resilience Fund. It works in much the same way, and you don’t have to pay it back.

Who can get a Housing Payment?

You must be entitled to Housing Benefit, or to Universal Credit that includes help with your rent. That includes people waiting for their first payment. If you aren’t entitled to either, you can’t get one, though the council may be able to help from the Crisis Payment part of the same fund. People with no recourse to public funds can’t get a Housing Payment.

What can a Housing Payment pay for?

A shortfall between your benefit and your rent, including one caused by the Local Housing Allowance, the benefit cap or the spare room rules. It can also pay one-off costs of moving: a tenancy deposit, rent in advance and removal costs. Rent arrears can be covered if your benefit didn’t cover the rent when you fell behind.

What can’t it pay for?

Service charges your benefit doesn’t cover, a shortfall caused by a benefit sanction, suspension or the recovery of an overpayment, and rent increases caused by arrears. It can’t cover the gap between council tax support and your council tax bill: ask the council about that separately.

How much can I get?

There is no fixed amount. The council looks at your household’s income and spending, and any savings, to work out the shortfall. For help with ongoing rent, the payment shouldn’t be more than the Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing amount you get. Each council has a set budget, and when it runs out it may not be able to help.

How long does a Housing Payment last?

As long as the council decides. Most are short-term, often a few months, to give you time to find cheaper rent or more income, and the decision should give an end date. If you still need help when it ends, apply again. A deposit or rent in advance is a one-off payment.

Can a Housing Payment be backdated?

Sometimes. It is up to the council, case by case, and only for a time when you were getting Housing Benefit or the Universal Credit housing element. A Housing Payment can only be paid for time from 1 April 2026; earlier awards were DHPs.

What if the council says no?

Ask the council to look at the decision again, and send any new evidence, such as a spending statement or a doctor’s letter. There is no appeal to a tribunal. If you think the council handled it badly, complain to the council, then to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. You can also apply again if things change.

Where this comes from

The Department for Work and Pensions’ Crisis and Resilience Fund guidance for councils in England, 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029; Shelter’s housing payments advice and legal guide to housing payments; GOV.UK’s Find your local council; and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Your council’s own policy sets the details, so read it before you apply. The gap figures are our analysis of ONS rents and DWP rates, explained on the housing benefit gap.

General information, not benefits or legal advice. The rules above are for England. RenterCheck is independent and not connected with the Department for Work and Pensions or any council.

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