If you are out of work, disabled, elderly or on a low income you may be entitled to help with paying your rent or Council Tax.

The pages Claiming Housing Benefit and Claiming Council Tax Benefit explain the circumstances in which you might be entitled to these benefits and how to claim.

Personal Circumstances Might Affect Your Claim

New or repeat Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit claimants

If you are also making a new or repeat claim for Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit you will make your claim for Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit with the Job Centre Plus at the same time. You can claim by phone on 0845 6060 234.

Once they have dealt with your claim Jobcentre Plus will send us confirmation of your entitlement benefits. We may need to write to you for more information, such as proof of your rent, or your partner’s details, or information about your savings. Please make sure you supply these to us as quickly as you can, so that your benefit entitlement can be processed.

Pension Credit Claimants

If you are in receipt of Pension Credit and wish to make a claim for Housing and Council Tax Benefit, in most circumstances, you only need to complete a claim form. You will only have to complete a supplementary form if there are children or non dependants in the household or you live in privately rented accommodation. 

Anyone Else

If you are already claiming Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit, or are in receipt of other income, such as earned income, private or occupational pensions or Pension Credit, you will need to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit directly from Ashford Borough Council Benefits Service.

In all cases you should claim as soon as you think you need to, as housing and council tax benefit will normally only be awarded from the Monday after we receive your claim form.

If you do not complete your form and send it in to us straight away – perhaps, for example, because you have been unwell - you can ask us to consider backdating the start of your claim to a date earlier than the date we received it. You will have to prove good cause for your failure to claim when you first needed the help.

To claim housing and Council Tax benefit you will need to complete a claim form

You can download the form from the Claiming Housing Benefit and Claiming Council Tax Benefit webpages.

Or call 01233 331111 and ask us to send you a form, or come in and collect one from the Civic Centre or The Fairings.

New!

• Local Housing Allowance information

Further Information

For public service information on Benefits from the Government visit the Directgov website.