Discretionary housing payment | BETA - South Gloucestershire Council

A discretionary housing payment (DHP) is extra help you might be able to get for housing costs which include rent payments and moving costs.

You can only get a DHP if you receive Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.

What it can help with

You may be able to get a DHP to help with:

a spare room that Housing Benefit will not pay for
benefit caps resulting in reductions to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit
your benefit being reduced because there is a non-dependent in the household
a rent deposit or rent in advance for moving to a new home
removal costs
a shortfall between the amount of Housing Benefit or housing costs in Universal Credit you get and the amount of rent you must pay.

We are not able to award a DHP for:

service charges not covered by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit
increases in rent because you are in arrears
rent costs when your benefit has been reduced by the Department for Work and Pensions, normally because of a sanction
when your rent is reduced due to recovering a Housing Benefit Overpayment
paying council tax

To apply for a discretionary housing payment you need a South Gloucestershire Council account.

If you wish to apply in person or have any queries about your claim, visit one of our One Stop Shops.

Where possible provide original documents. We may ask for further evidence if it is required.

Sometimes we need information about other people who live in the same household as you so we can work out how much you will be eligible for.