Discretionary Housing Payments

You have a shortfall if the amount of housing benefit or Universal Credit you receive is less than the rent you have to pay. Reasons why you may have a shortfall are:

• if the Local Housing Allowance or Universal Credit housing costs element is less than the rent you have to pay and your landlord will not reduce your rent
• if your benefit is reduced because of the spare room deduction
• if your benefit is reduced because you have a non-dependant living with you
• if your benefit is reduced based on your income
• if your benefit is reduced due to the Benefit Cap

If you need to pay a rent deposit or rent in advance to move into another property, we will normally only consider this if you are moving to a cheaper property because of a shortfall at your current address.

We cannot pay Discretionary Housing Payments to help with the following costs:

• a shortfall between your Council Tax and the amount of Local Council Tax Reduction you receive
• services included in your rent which cannot be met by housing benefit (for example, heating, meals, water rates)
• extra payments you are making on top of your normal rent to clear rent arrears
• reduced income caused by sanctions or reductions in benefit, such as a result of not attending a work-focused interview or a Jobseeker's Allowance employment sanction
• shortfalls caused by a housing benefit overpayment being recovered from your housing benefit or Universal Credit.

 We do not usually pay you Discretionary Housing Payments if we think you can deal with the shortfall in other ways. This may include:

• claiming other benefits to which you may be entitled
• negotiating any debt repayments
• cutting down on unnecessary and avoidable expenses

If you are living in over-large or over-expensive accommodation, we will normally expect you to move to smaller, more affordable accommodation. We may pay a Discretionary Housing Payment for a short time to give you time to find other accommodation. If there are special reasons why you need to remain in your current home, for example, if your home has been significantly adapted to meet the needs of a disabled person, we will not expect you to move.

To claim Discretionary Housing Payments, click the button below. The claim for Discretionary Housing Payments is made online; Doncaster Digital Venues is a list of locations in Doncaster where you can access a computer to claim. 

• Discretionary Housing Payments application form

Discretionary Housing Payments are made from a fixed pot of money given to us by government, so not everyone who claims will be awarded extra help. We try and give the extra help to those most in need, which is why you need to give us as much information as you can, including your income and expenses.

Normally for long enough to give you time to find other ways of sorting out your financial difficulties. Generally, this means payments for between three and six months, but we may pay you for a shorter or longer period depending on your circumstances.

Once we end your payments, you can make a claim for a further award. However, there is no guarantee that you will get the extra help, even if your circumstances have not changed.

If we refuse your application for Discretionary Housing Payments, you can ask us to look at the decision again. An officer who was not involved in the original decision will look at your claim again, including any new information and evidence you want to give us. There is no further right of appeal against this officer’s decision.