Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP)

What is a Discretionary Housing Payment? (DHP)

Discretionary Housing Payments provide extra money to help you meet your housing costs. 

What can I use a Discretionary Housing Payment to pay for?

• Rent deposits.
• Rent in advance.
• Moving costs.
• Rent arrears (but not if you were receiving enough housing benefit to pay all of your rent at the time the arrears built up).
• A shortfall between housing benefit and rent or housing costs included in Universal Credit and rent.

Who can claim a Discretionary Housing Payment?

Anyone who needs financial help with housing costs and is currently claiming either:

• Housing Benefit or
• Universal Credit that includes an award for housing costs

How do I make a claim?

Download the form in the related documents section below and return it with your supporting evidence to benefits@e-lindsey.gov.uk.

Once a decision has been made, we will confirm this in writing to you.

If your application is successful, we will inform you how much you have been awarded and what period it covers. Payments are normally awarded on a short term or one-off basis to assist you while you take action to improve your financial circumstances.

If your application is unsuccessful, we inform explain why and if you feel that there is something that we have not considered or were aware of you can ask us to look at the decision again. You will need to write to us within one month of the date that we inform you that your claim has been refused.