Apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP)

You may be able to get a DHP if you're already getting Housing Benefit or Universal Credit

Do I qualify for a DHP?

You can only qualify for an award if

You can only qualify for an award if you are entitled to Housing Benefit or can provide evidence that you are entitled to the housing element of Universal Credit; and
Pay rent and require further assistance with housing costs

DHP is a temporary solution while you find a way to cover your rental shortfall by, for example, finding work or moving to affordable accommodation.

What information do I need to complete this form?

To complete this form, you may need:

Details of household income and expenditure
Details of how much rent you are charged and landlord details including bank details
To upload evidence to support your application eg copies of pay slips, tenancy agreement showing rent amount

Apply for DHP

Submitting your evidence

Just before you submit the online form, you will be provided with a list of any evidence required to process your application. If you cannot upload the documents to the form immediately, you can use the button below to submit your evidence at a later date.

Submit your evidence

What happens next?

We'll normally start paying the DHP from the Monday after you submit your claim. For more information on DHPs, download the following document.

Icon for pdf Discretionary Housing Payment Policy 2020 [435.49KB]