Council housing tenants
If you are a council tenant, your benefit is normally paid directly to your rent account. There will be some situations where we have arranged with you to have it paid directly to your bank account.
Non-council housing tenants
If you are not a council tenant, we will pay your housing benefit fortnightly or four-weekly in arrears. We can pay your Housing Benefit directly into your bank account (BACS).
Direct payments to landlords
In most cases, payment of your Housing Benefit will be made to you but if you have difficulties with managing your money, perhaps due to health problems, you can request for us to make payment to your landlord.
It is important to remember that we are not able to pay your landlord your benefit in every case. If you ask us to pay directly to your landlord, payment will be made to them four-weekly in arrears.
If you ask for payments to be made to you and you fall behind with paying your rent by eight weeks or more, your landlord can ask us to pay your housing benefit directly to them and we may switch payments without your permission in some cases.
See Direct payments to landlords.
More information
Contact the Benefits Team
When contacting us about an existing claim, please remember to include your reference number in your email.
Address: Oxford City CouncilPO Box 10
Oxford
OX1 1EN
