If your ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Benefit or Universal Credit ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Costs doesn't cover all of your rent and you are having difficulty paying the shortfall, you may be able to get a Discretionary ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Payment (DHP) to help.
Apply for a Discretionary ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Payment online
Did you know that the City of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Council Advice shop can provide the following assistance :
- all aspects of welfare rights including income maximisation through welfare benefits, tax credits and grants
- debt advice to resolve personal debt including credit cards, bank loans, rent arrears, personal loans, store cards, catalogues and mortgage arrears
- help for people affected by cancer through information, advice and advocacy to access entitlements arising as a result of a cancer diagnosis and the extra costs of cancer.
Download the fact sheet and policy (PDFs) Benefits and debt advice
What you can use a DHP for
A DHP can help, for example if you
- are seeking more affordable accommodation and require assistance with a deposit, rent in advance or removal costs
- are affected by the introduction of the benefit cap and are seeking employment
- have been affected by previous ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Benefit changes such as the extension of the Local ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ Allowance shared room rate to under 35s
- have higher living costs because you are sick or disabled.
Terms
The award of a DHP is a discretionary decision and there is no statutory right to a payment. Each application will be treated strictly on its own merits.
We have a limited amount of money to provide this help, so any payment is likely to be for a short period only.