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  2. Benefits and money
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  5. Universal Credit

Universal Credit payments for housing

As well as the Universal Credit monthly standard allowance, you may get extra money (called the housing element) to help pay your housing costs.

Help with housing costs

You may get help with your housing costs if you:

  • pay rent to a private landlord
  • pay rent, and some service charges, to a housing association
  • pay rent, and some service charges to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE)
  • pay interest on your mortgage, and some service charges, if you or your partner own the property you live in

The housing element will be paid directly to your landlord. If you meet certain conditions you can ask for it to be paid to you, so you can pay your own rent.

If your housing element is paid to you and you stop paying your rent, your landlord can ask to have your future housing element, or any housing element they have not received, paid directly to them.

The housing element may not cover all of your rent. You will need to check this as you will have to pay the rest to your landlord.

If you move home

Your housing costs are calculated at the end of each assessment period, based on your circumstances at that date. 

If you move home, your housing costs will be paid to the landlord whose details are held by Universal Credit at the end of the assessment period.  The housing costs can only be paid to one landlord and no part payments are possible.

It is your responsibility to make sure that your previous and current landlords receive the correct amount of rent you owe.

How much your housing element will be

To check how much your housing element will be, you need to know if your landlord is a Social Sector landlord or a Private Sector landlord.

  • if your landlord is the NIHE or a housing association, you are a Social Sector tenant
  • if your property is owned by a person or property company, rather than NIHE or a housing association, you are a Private Sector tenant

If you were getting Housing Benefit immediately before you claimed Universal Credit, you will continue to receive your Housing Benefit in the usual way for an extra two weeks after you claim Universal Credit.   

If this extra Housing Benefit is paid to you and you owe your landlord rent, you must use it to pay off what you owe. If you do not owe rent, you can keep the extra Housing Benefit.

If your regular Housing Benefit is paid to your landlord, they will receive the extra Housing Benefit.  Your landlord may put this towards any rent you owe, or you can ask them to pay it to you.

Rates

Your Universal Credit payment will not include money towards your rates. If you are getting Universal Credit, you may be able to claim a Rate Rebate. You can find more information on the Rate Rebate Scheme for people on Universal Credit.

Temporary and Supported Accommodation

Universal Credit does not pay housing costs for people in supported or temporary accommodation.

Supported accommodation is accommodation provided by Northern Ireland Housing Executive (NIHE), a housing association, registered charity or voluntary organisation that provides you with care, support or supervision. 

Temporary accommodation may be a hostel (which does not provide care, support or supervision), a short term rented property or short term bed and breakfast.

In these circumstances, you may be able to apply for Housing Benefit.

If you pay rent to a Social Sector Landlord

The housing element will be your actual housing costs and any service charges Universal Credit can cover, but not charges for utilities such as electricity or gas.

If you meet certain conditions you can request that your housing element is paid to you, allowing you to pay your own rent.

If your home is larger than you need, you will get less housing element. This is because the Social Sector Size Criteria (SSSC), sometimes called the ‘Bedroom Tax’, applies to Universal Credit. 

Your housing element amount will be reduced by:

  • 14 per cent if you have one bedroom that you do not need
  • 25 per cent if you have two or more bedrooms that you do not need

If you are affected by the SSSC, you will be entitled to extra payments (known as mitigation payments). If you think you may be entitled to these payments, you can check your eligibility. These mitigation payments will normally be paid to your landlord, unless you pay your own rent to your landlord.

What Universal Credit means for Social housing landlords with tenants on Universal Credit

If you pay rent to a Private Sector Landlord

Your housing element will be:

  • your actual housing costs
  • the Local Housing Allowance rate, whichever is lower

The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rate depends on the area you choose to live in, who lives with you, and the number of bedrooms you need.

A shared accommodation rate (SAR) is paid to single Private Rented Sector claimants under the age of 35.  The SAR does not apply to under 35's living in supported housing in the Private Rented Sector.

Some claimants who are under 35 and living alone may receive more than the ‘shared accommodation’ rate.

This will apply if you are:

  • aged 18 to 24 and identified as a care leaver
  • an ex-offender who poses a risk of serious harm to the public
  • formerly homeless, aged 16 to 34 and receiving support to resettle back into the community
  • on account of your disability, receiving:
    • Attendance Allowance (which includes Armed Forces Independence payment and Constant Attendance Allowance, paid as part of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or War Disablement Pension)
    • DLA care part at the middle or higher rate
    • PIP daily living part (either rate).

If any of these apply to you, to make sure you receive the correct housing amount you should tell your Work Coach as soon as possible, using your online account or contacting the Universal Credit Service Centre.

Messages to your online account will be answered as soon as possible during business hours.

If you meet certain conditions you can request that your housing element is paid to you, allowing you to pay your own rent.

You will need to provide evidence of your housing costs (for example, a tenancy agreement or letter from your landlord).  The evidence will need to:

  • confirm that you live in the property
  • confirm that you are responsible for paying the rent, and are paying it
  • show your landlord details
  • give the details of any joint tenant

The evidence will need to show your rent and rates as two separate amounts.  This is because Universal Credit does not cover rates.

Your housing element will include money towards your:

  • rent
  • eligible service charges

What Universal Credit means for Private sector landlords with tenants on Universal Credit

Other help with rent

If you rent from a private landlord and are entitled to the housing element of Universal Credit but it does not cover all of your rent, you may be able to get additional help with your rent from the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. This is called a Discretionary Housing Payment.

A Discretionary Housing Payment can help pay some of the difference between the rent charged by your landlord and the housing element of your Universal Credit award.

You can apply for the Discretionary Housing payment where, in some cases, a payment for the full difference between the rent charged by your landlord and the housing element of your Universal Credit award can be paid. Certain criteria will apply.

For more information you can contact the Northern Ireland Housing Executive or apply for the Discretionary Housing Payment

If you own your home

If you’re a homeowner, as well as the monthly standard allowance, you might be able to get Support for Mortgage Interest. This is a loan to help towards interest payments on your mortgage or other loans you’ve taken out for your home, that you will need to pay back.

More useful links

  • Landlord and tenant responsibilities
  • Landlord and tenant obligations
  • Social housing
  • Buying, selling and renting a home
  • Keeping your home, homelessness and evictions
  • Bryson Energy
  • Contacting 08 and 03 numbers
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Universal Credit

  • Agree your Universal Credit Commitment
  • Changes that may affect your Universal Credit
  • Changes you need to tell Universal Credit about
  • Contact Universal Credit for help with your claim
  • Extra help to make or maintain your Universal Credit claim
  • Find out who to contact about money taken off your Universal Credit payment
  • Frontier and cross border workers claiming Universal Credit
  • Help to find work on Universal Credit
  • Help while waiting for a Universal Credit payment
  • How much can be taken from your Universal Credit payments
  • How much Universal Credit you get and how you're paid
  • How you make a claim for Universal Credit
  • Money taken from your Universal Credit payments
  • More financial help if you get Universal Credit
  • Unable to manage your Universal Credit claim by yourself
  • Universal Credit - Sharing your information with others
  • Universal Credit if you have a health condition or disability
  • Universal Credit if you're claiming other benefits or tax credits
  • Universal Credit if you're employed
  • Universal Credit if you're self-employed
  • Universal Credit if you're unemployed
  • Universal Credit payments for children and childcare
  • Universal Credit payments for housing
  • Universal Credit reclaims
  • Universal Credit: advance payments
  • Universal Credit: two child limit
  • What to do after you have claimed Universal Credit
  • What will affect your Universal Credit payments
  • Who can claim Universal Credit
  • Who to contact if you disagree with Universal Credit's decision
  • Who to talk to about deductions from your Universal Credit
  • You want to claim Universal Credit again

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