Accessibility Sign in/Register Selecteer een taal▼ SEARCH Urgent Telephone Weekends : 01233 331111 Claim for housing benefit Fill out a CTR form Benefits Calculator Home Benefits Claiming Benefits Claiming Benefits Claiming Housing Benefit Make a Housing Benefit or CTR Claim Universal Credit Specified And Temporary Accommodation Providing evidence towards a benefit claim Claiming Council Tax Reduction Council Tax Reduction Form Test and Trace Support Payment Find out how to claim Coronavirus Test and Trace Support Payment. Housing benefit and council tax reduction As the local authority, we oversee housing benefit and council tax reduction on behalf of the government. Housing benefit This benefit is to help you pay your rent. Housing benefit is a means-tested benefit payable to people on a low income. Applicants must be liable to pay rent for accommodation they are occupying as their home. Council tax reduction This benefit is to help you pay your council tax. Council tax reduction is a means-tested benefit payable to people on a low income. Applicants must be liable to pay council tax on the property they live in, whether it is rented or owned. Second adult rebate This benefit also helps you pay your council tax. If you do not qualify for council tax benefit because your income is too high, you may still qualify for a 25% reduction in your council tax bill. Applicants will need to have other people living with them who have a low income. As of 1 April 2017, second adult rebate is only available for claimants who are of pension age. Claims Visit our claiming housing benefit and claiming council tax reduction pages for further information. These pages offer explanations on the circumstances in which you may be entitled to these benefits. Make a new claim for housing benefit and council tax reduction online – it's the quickest and easiest way. Please complete the council tax reduction form if we have written to you advising you to claim council tax reduction. We will do this if you have completed a housing benefit from through the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP). In all cases you should claim as soon as you think you need to. Housing benefit and council tax support will normally only be awarded from the Monday after we receive your form. If you do not submit your form to us straight away – perhaps, for example, 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. The maximum amount of time that a claim can be considered for backdating is one month for working age claimants and three months for pension age claimants. If you are asked to provide supporting documentary evidence in respect of your benefit claim you can do so by completing our online form. Please attach your documents if we have asked for supporting evidence. You can estimate your entitlement to benefit online. Universal Credit – Full Service If you are of working age, you will need to claim Universal Credit for your housing costs, from the 20 June 2018. Now that date has passed, we are unable to accept new claims for Housing Benefit, unless you fall into one of the exceptions. However, if you are responsible for Council Tax and you would like to claim Council Tax Reduction, you need to do this through Ashford Borough Council – Claim Council Tax reduction Further information For public service information on benefits from the Government visit the Gov.uk website. Your Council Transparency Contact Us Working for Us Consultations Conditions of Use Copyright © 2021 Ashford Borough Council Cookie Control Your choice regarding cookies on this site We use cookies to optimise site functionality and give you the best possible experience. I AcceptSettings