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Housing Benefit decision making and Appeals

If you think that Land & Property Services(LPS) has made the wrong decision on your Housing Benefit application, you can use this page to find out what action you can take.

What you can do if you feel that the decision on your claim is wrong

When Land & Property Services (LPS) makes a decision on your Housing Benefit claim, you will receive written notification of this. If you think that the decision is wrong, you can:

  • ask for an explanation by telephone or in writing
  • ask for the claim to be looked at again - this is called a reconsideration
  • appeal against the decision to an independent tribunal who can change the LPS decision if they think it is wrong

There are time limits for asking LPS to look at the decision again or to lodge an appeal.

If you want more information on your decision letter you should contact LPS Housing Benefit section who will explain this in writing or on the phone. Contact details for LPS are as follows:

Or by writing to:

Land & Property Services
Housing Benefit Central Unit
Lincoln Building
27 - 45 Great Victoria Street
Malone Lower
BELFAST
BT2 7SL

You can also ask for a written statement of reasons for the decision on your claim and this will be sent to you within 14 days.

What you should do if you are still not happy with the decision

When you receive the new decision and you are still not happy with it, you can ask LPS to look at your case again. However, you must do this within a month of receiving your new decision letter.

If LPS receives your request within one month and subsequently changes its decision, the change will usually be backdated to the date of the original decision.

The review of your claim will not be done by the same member of staff who made the original decision. If the original decision was wrong, LPS will change it and advise you in writing.

If you are not happy with new decision you can ask LPS to look at it again and issue a further written decision.

Appealing your Housing Benefit decision

You can get more information on appealing your Housing Benefit decision in information leaflet HBA1:

If you wish to appeal your decision, you should use the Housing Benefit appeal form.

This is a writeable document, which means that you can complete on screen, print and send to LPS. Alternatively, you can save the document to your desktop, complete the form and e-mail as an attachment to:

You can also request an information leaflet or appeal form by contacting LPS as follows:

All appeals are handled by the Appeals Service and you should visit their website for further details.

If your appeal is received more than a month after the issue of the decision letter, you must state the reasons for the delay. A legally qualified member of the tribunal will consider the reasons for the delay and decide if your appeal can be accepted.

On receipt of your appeal, LPS will look at it again and if the decision is not changed, it will be sent with all relevant papers to The Appeals Service for consideration by an independent tribunal, made up of legally and financially qualified people who have no connection with LPS.

The tribunal can only look at the evidence, law and the circumstances at the time the decision which you are appealing against was made. Any change of circumstance which could affect your benefit should be reported to LPS immediately – you should not wait for the appeal hearing.

The Appeal Hearing

If the case goes to formal appeal you will be given a choice of an oral hearing or a written determination. You will be given 14 days notice of the oral hearing. If you have a good reason why you cannot attend, you must advise the clerk of the tribunal immediately. If you fail to do this, the Tribunal may decide the case in your absence.

At the hearing you may ask questions and the Tribunal may ask you questions. You may also call witnesses. LPS is usually represented at these hearings.

If you request a paper determination, you do not have to attend and LPS will not be represented. Any decision will be made based on the information on your claim supplied by LPS and any written submissions and papers received from you.

You may still be required to attend an oral hearing if LPS requests this or if the Tribunal feels that this is necessary to reach a decision. You can also change your mind and ask  for an oral hearing by writing to the Appeals Service immediately. If the appeal has not yet been decided, they may be able to arrange an Oral Hearing.

The Result

You will receive a copy of the Tribunal's summary decision as soon as possible after the hearing.

You can also request the following:

  • a statement of reasons explaining the Tribunal's decsion and the facts and law used, which must be requested within one month of the issue of the decision
  • a record of proceedings from the hearing, which must be requested within six months of the issue of the decision

If your appeal is successful, LPS will usually amend your claim as soon as it receives its copy of the decision.

If either you or LPS disagree with the Tribunal's decision, the next step is to appeal to the Social Security Commissioners, who are lawyers and independent of LPS and the Appeals Service. An appeal can only be lodged with the Commissioners on a point of law and not on questions of fact. For more information, please use the link below to visit their website:

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