Anyone who has to pay rent for their home can claim Housing Benefit and it doesn't matter whether their landlord is the council, a housing association or a private individual or company.
Boarders, lodgers and people in hostels and bed-and-breakfast accommodation can also claim but we do not normally pay Housing Benefit for a person living with a member of their immediate family.
How benefit is paid
The payment will normally be made to your tenant straight to their bank or building society account. Payment is not normally made to the landlord.
If your tenant is more than 8 weeks in arrears we can pay you without the tenant's agreement but you must have proof of the arrears before we can pay you.
If we pay you, it will be what we would have paid to the tenant and in some cases, this will not be the full rent charged. If there's a difference between the amount of benefit and the rent due you'll have to collect this from your tenant.
If you have more than one tenant on direct payment, we will pay the total benefit into your bank account. We will send you a list informing you whose benefit is included in each payment and the period it covers.
You may be asked to repay any benefit you get for periods after the tenant leaves.
