How to afford rent

You could get financial support to help cover your rent through:

• Housing Benefit
• Universal Credit housing element

Other financial support to rent

Disability benefits and financial help for disabled people

To check you are receiving all the benefits you are entitled to, you can:

• use the free Turn2us benefits calculator
• contact the Scope helpline

If you rent from a private landlord, there is a maximum amount of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element you can receive. This is called the local housing allowance.

Your council decides what they think is the right amount for your local area. It depends on:

• where you live
• the number of bedrooms you need 

Check your bedroom entitlement

Use your postcode to check your local housing allowance rate (Directgov) 

If your rent is higher than the local housing allowance rate, your benefits do not cover all of it. You will need to pay the difference. 

You must do this from other sources of income if you have them, for example other benefits.

Other financial support to rent

If you are under 35 and single

If you are under 35 and single, you may only be eligible for a shared accommodation rate of the local housing allowance.

You could get a one-bedroom rate if you get:

• the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment or
• the middle or highest rate of the Disability Living Allowance care component

Local housing allowance (LHA) if you are under 35 (Shelter)

Bedroom entitlement is the number of bedrooms that housing benefits can pay the rent for. This is whether you rent from a:

• private landlord  
• local council or
• housing association

You may be affected by the bedroom tax if all these things are true:

• You are under State Pension age.
• You have spare bedrooms.
• You rent from a local council or housing association.

Bedroom tax and housing benefits 

The rules are different for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit housing element.

Calculating your bedroom entitlement (Entitledto)

How many bedrooms you can claim for

If you are renting from a private landlord, you can claim benefits for up to 4 bedrooms only. Benefits cover up to the local housing allowance rate.

If you need overnight care 

If you need regular care overnight from someone who does not live with you, your benefits might pay for a carer's bedroom.

The carer could be a friend or family member or someone who is paid to give you overnight care. 

You must be receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance at the higher rate.

Check if you are allowed an extra bedroom for Housing Benefit (Citizens Advice)

Before you move into a rented property, there are other costs you must pay. These include:

• a deposit, which cannot be more than 5 weeks’ rent
• your first month’s rent in advance

Your landlord or letting agent will tell you how much these costs will be. You may be able to get support to pay them.

Make a note of your monthly income, including benefits, and outgoings, such as:

• Council Tax
• electricity
• gas
• water
• Internet
• food shopping
• transport costs

Remember to add how much you need to pay for:

• a deposit
• first month’s rent in advance

MoneyHelper has information on how you can work out your budget for rent.

Guide: How to find a rented home you can afford (MoneyHelper)

Budgeting tips

You may qualify for a Council Tax reduction.

Service charges

You may also need to pay service charges when you rent a home.

These are for services like repairs, gardening and improvements. 

Housing Benefit and Universal Credit housing element can pay some service charges. For example, the fees for cleaning communal areas in shared blocks. 

Benefits do not pay for personal care and support charges in supported housing.

Service charges for council and housing association tenants (Shelter)

There may be other payments or grants you can receive. These are on top of benefits.

Options if you cannot afford a deposit or rent in advance (Shelter)

Discretionary Housing Payment 

You might be eligible to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) from your local council. This could be a one-off payment or a regular payment. 

Discretionary Housing Payment 

You can use this:

• to pay a deposit 
• if your rent comes to more than your benefit and there is a shortfall 

To be eligible, you need to get either:

• Housing Benefit or
• Universal Credit housing element

How you apply varies from council to council.

Contact the DHP team at your council (Shelter)

Charity deposit schemes 

In some areas, charities run deposit schemes that are separate to the local council. It depends on where you live.

Search the database of deposit schemes near you (Crisis)

Household support funds

Your local council may have extra funds for deposits or rent. These are sometimes called ‘household support funds’ or ‘local welfare assistance funds’.

Check with your local council.

Find your local council (GOV.UK)

There may be other grants you can apply for in your area.

Disability grants

You usually need to have a tenancy agreement before you can apply for financial support to rent. 

Understanding your tenancy agreement (Citizens Advice)

You may be able to claim Housing Benefit before you move in if:

• you cannot leave hospital because you do not have anywhere else to live
• you are waiting for home adaptations 

You must provide evidence that you need financial support. This evidence can include payslips and bank or building society statements. 

Evidence you need for Housing Benefit (GOV.UK)

Evidence you need for Universal Credit housing element (GOV.UK)

If you live with your partner, they usually need to provide evidence too.

These benefits do not count as income for housing benefits:

• Disability benefits, for example Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Special Guardianship Allowance (GOV.UK) 

But they may count as income if you apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment. Your council decides.

Find your local council (GOV.UK)