What is Discretionary Housing Payment scheme?
It is a way of helping you if the Housing or Council Tax Benefit you get is not enough to pay your rent or council tax.
The Benefits section of Bolton Council is responsible for the scheme and will decide whether or not you can get extra help.
Discretionary Housing Payments are not the same as Housing or Council Tax Benefit. They are special payments which come from a separate fund. Once the fund has been spent in any financial year no more Discretionary Housing Payments can be made.
How to Claim
Complete the Discretionary Housing payment application form.
When we get your form we will look at the information you have given; if we need more details we will write to you.
The Award
There are no set criteria for deciding whether you can have a discretionary housing payment. Each application is treated on its own merits.
We will consider things like :
- The amount you get in housing and council tax benefit and the amount you have to pay
- Any efforts you have made to reduce your rent
- The financial and medical circumstances of you and anyone who lives with you
- The income and expenditure or you and anyone who lives with you
- Your savings investments and any held by anyone else living with you
- Any debts owed by you or anyone else who lives with you
- If you have any exceptional circumstances
- The amount of money we have available in the fund when we consider your application
- Any other special situations
The amount of the Discretionary Housing Payment and the period of the award
We will tell you how much we have awarded and the period we have given it to you for.
You may not get as much as you need to pay your full rent or Council Tax or the award may not be for as long as you would like.
The Discretionary Housing Payment Fund is meant to help with short term emergencies. If you get an award there is no guarantee that another award will be made at a later date even if your circumstances have not changed.
If I don’t get an award because there are no funds left, can I apply again?
If you are refused an award because of funding and your circumstances have not changed, you can apply again in the new financial year (this runs from 1 April to 31 March the following year).
This will not guarantee an award as your claim will still have to go through the decision making process.
I don't agree with your decision, what do I do?
There is no right of appeal to an independent tribunal. However you can ask us to look at our decision again and another decision maker will look at your application. This is called reviewing the decision.
You can ask for a review if:
- we have refused your award, or
- we have awarded a reduced amount, or
- we have told you we have overpaid you
Please contact us if you want us to look at our decision again.