Overview (Test)
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP)
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) provide extra money when you need help to meet your housing costs.
We offer a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) to provide extra help with housing costs. If you are already receiving Housing Benefit, or the Housing Element of Universal Credit and this does not cover your rent and you are in financial hardship, you can apply.
Discretionary Housing Payment Policy (add link)
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) provide extra money when you need help to meet your housing costs. It is a scheme intended to ease financial hardship. DHP is for residents who face a variety of financial difficulties. DHP helps with housing costs on a short term and temporary basis and gives residents time to find alternative solutions. There will be exceptional cases where a DHP is required in the long term; however, it should not be seen as a permanent solution.
DHP is not a benefit, and the Council has a limited amount of money each year for those who need extra financial help. You do not have a statutory right to receive a payment.
You must make a formal claim for DHP before we can consider making an award.
Eligibility
We’ll look at your circumstances and decide whether your eligible.
- You must be in receipt of Housing Benefit from Thurrock Council or receive the Housing Cost element as part of your Universal Credit award to apply for a DHP.
Circumstances we will consider are issues such as:
- if you’re in danger of eviction and homelessness
- you’re undergoing life changing circumstances that significantly affect your household.
- you or a household member have significant health problems which could increase living costs your Housing Benefit of Universal Credit award has been reduced by the benefit cap.
Deposits and moving costs
A DHP may be awarded to help with a deposit and/or moving costs to support residents to move to more sustainable accommodation. This is to help prevent homelessness, but we will consider whether the new property is appropriate and affordable, therefore you must apply before you move.
Where this is the case, we will need to check if you:
- are due to have a deposit in respect of your existing tenancy returned to you.
- have been refused assistance from the Council through a rent deposit guarantee scheme or similar.
You will need to provide the following evidence if applying a rent deposit by providing the following evidence by email to [email protected] after the online application process has been completed:
- official evidence from a landlord/letting agent that they have agreed to let the property to you and evidence of the costs of the rent deposit and ongoing contractual rent costs before you move, so that affordability can be considered.
- two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children.
You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for moving costs by providing the following evidence by email to [email protected] after the online application process has been completed:
- three quotes from different removal companies are required. These must be official quotes (letterhead or digital document) from the removal company before you move, so that affordability can be considered.
- two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children.
Current rent costs or rent arrears
A DHP may be awarded for current rent costs if you are struggling to meet your current rental liability and Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing cost element does not cover your full rent costs (excluding ineligible service charges). Ongoing affordability will be considered before any DHP is awarded.
A DHP may be awarded towards rent arrears if you can provide evidence of how the arrears were built up and when, and you can show that you have been unable to meet your rent costs which has led to the arrears. Ongoing affordability will be considered before any DHP is awarded.
You will need to provide the following evidence if applying for a DHP for assistance with current rent costs or rent arrears by providing the following evidence by email to [email protected] after the online application process has been completed:
- if you are not a Council Tenant, you will need to provide evidence of your current rent costs and proof of any rent arrears and/or eviction notice by uploading the evidence during the online application process. (Council tenants are not required to provide this evidence as it is held on our system for us to check).
- we may also ask you to provide two months bank statements for all accounts that you (and any resident partner) hold, showing all transactions, covering the last two months (mini statements and phone screenshots are not acceptable). This includes any savings accounts for you (and partner) and any you hold for your children.
How to claim a DHP
The council have launched one application form for all current discretionary funding schemes.
Before you submit your application, make sure you complete the form in full and upload all evidence needed (as indicated on the evidence checklist in the application form) to support your claim and avoid delay. If you fail to provide evidence needed in support of your application, your claim will be refused with no appeal rights.
You must give authority to act to anyone completing an application on your behalf.
Our welfare visiting officer can provide support to make an application only if the following circumstances apply:
- the applicant is disabled and
- is unable to leave the home as a result of that disability and
- is unable to complete the claim as a result of that disability and
- no family member, friend or other suitable person is available to assist the applicant.
- has any other legitimate barrier to the completion of an application requiring support.
If all of the above apply, then please email [email protected] advising you wish to make a Discretionary Housing Payment claim and require assistance and why. Please include your name, address and contact details and reasons for applying.
If you disagree with our DHP decision
There is no right of appeal against a DHP decision. You can however ask us to look at the decision again. If your circumstances change, you can reapply. There is no limit on how many times you can claim a DHP.
Housing Benefit
01375 652652