Disputing housing benefit decisions
Every five to six years, the calendar makes it so we have 53 Mondays instead of the usual 52. This coming financial year, 2024 / 2025, is one of those special years.
If you get Universal Credit, the Department for Work and Pensions will only pay for 52 weeks of your rent in a year. In a 53 week financial year, this means there will be one week of rent that will not be covered by Universal Credit.
Find out what we're doing to help and what to do if you're affected and already struggling with the cost of living.
request a statement of reasons
request a revision
make an appeal.
You can ask for a statement of reasons if you want us to provide more detail about how we calculate your entitlement.
You can ask for a revision if you believe that we have made a mistake, or if you think that we have not considered all of the information you have given us.
You can appeal if you believe that our decision is wrong, or if you think that we have applied the regulations governing the Housing and Council Tax Benefit Scheme incorrectly. We will always look at your claim again, and if we do not change our decision we will refer the matter to an independent tribunal.
Should you wish to exercise your right to any of the above, you must write to us within one calendar month of the decision you are querying. The letter must be signed by you, even if someone acts on your behalf. If you decide to appeal, you must set out clearly your reason(s) and grounds for disputing our decision. Please include any supporting documentation.