Website and telephone payments Sunday 19 May
Our website and telephone payment systems are unavailable between 9am and 2pm on Sunday 19 May. You will not be able to pay for any council services on our website or over the phone during this time.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) can give you extra financial help if you are already getting Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit but still have a shortfall in your rent liability that you are finding difficult to pay.
Discretionary Housing Payments are awarded at our discretion and money available for this is limited. This means that awards are usually only made for short periods and are only given in cases of extreme financial hardship.
Awards will usually only be made if there is evidence to show that:
You cannot get DHP if your rent shortfall is due to a benefit overpayment or suspension.
You can also apply for a single discretionary housing payment to help you meet the cost of moving to alternative accommodation. You can claim this if:
All cases are looked at individually.
A decision will be made, and you will be notified in writing. If the application is successful the award will be paid along with your Housing Benefit.