How do I get a Discretionary Housing Payment?

A Discretionary Housing Payment is extra help from your local council when your Housing Benefit or Universal Credit housing element does not cover your rent. It is discretionary in the fullest sense: each council writes its own policy, decides its own priorities, and works from a fixed annual budget that can run out.

What DHPs are used for

Councils most often award them where a shortfall arises from the benefit cap, a Local Housing Allowance rate below the market rent, or a bedroom tax reduction, and in one-off crises. There is no statutory maximum for a single award — in principle a council can cover the entire gap between your housing support and your actual rent — but awards are usually made for a defined period rather than open-endedly, so plan for the money to stop.

One use worth knowing about: many councils will fund a deposit or rent in advance so you can move somewhere cheaper. Applications framed that way tend to succeed, because they solve the shortfall permanently rather than subsidising it. Say explicitly that the new property is within your LHA rate.

Making the application land

• Apply through your council’s housing benefit team, in writing where possible, and early in the financial year while budget remains.
• Set out the arithmetic — rent, housing element, and the exact monthly gap — then the consequences: arrears, a possession notice, disruption to children’s schooling, or a health condition made worse by moving.
• Attach evidence: your tenancy agreement, UC statement, arrears letter, bank statements, and any medical or support-worker letters.
• Flag urgency clearly if you face eviction. Some councils decide within about two weeks; others take longer, and an urgent case can be prioritised.

DHPs are not available for mortgage costs — owner-occupiers should look at Support for Mortgage Interest instead. And there is no tribunal appeal against a refusal: you ask the council to review the decision internally, and if it failed to follow its own published policy, ignored your evidence or gave no reasons, you can then complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.