Private rented housing

Help with paying rent to a private landlord

If you’re on a low income, whether you’re working or not, and need financial help to pay all or part of your rent, you may be able to get housing benefit/the housing element of universal credit. If you are renting a property or room from a private landlord, the local housing allowance is used to work out how much benefit you will get.

The most local housing allowance you can get is the same as your eligible rent.

Eligible rent includes:

  • rent for the accommodation
  • charges for some services, such as lifts, communal laundry facilities or play areas

Even if it’s included in your rent, you won’t get any money to cover:

  • water charges
  • charges for heating, hot water, lighting, or cooking
  • payments for food or fuel in board and lodgings or hostels

The amount you may will also depend on members of your household, as well as you/your partner's personal and financial circumstances.

Visit our benefits section to find out more - we also recommend you use our benefits calculator to find out how much you may get, before you look for a property.

The payment will normally be made straight to your bank or building society account. If you are worried about managing your money, you can ask us to pay your it to your landlord directly. If you don’t pay your rent, you may be taken to court and evicted from the property.