Moving home and your benefits

Always tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) if:

• someone moves in or out of your home or
• you move to a new home

Who you contact depends on the benefits you receive. You may need to contact different offices:

• For Universal Credit, contact the DWP Universal Credit helpline or leave a message in your online journal
• For Housing Benefit, contact your local authority.

Benefits: report a change in your circumstances (GOV.UK)

Contact the council and find out if you are eligible for a Council Tax Reduction. If you are moving to a new local authority, you will need to contact them too.

Help with Council Tax

Who you live with can reduce your benefits. For example, living with:

• your partner and making a joint claim
• other adults, if they are not responsible for paying rent (this includes your children and other relatives if they are over 18)

You must tell the DWP when you start living with someone.

If you live with your partner, you will need to make a joint claim for some benefits. For example, Universal Credit.

A joint claim is usually less than if you did not live together and made 2 individual claims.

Your partner’s income is included with yours as the combined ‘household income’ for means-tested benefits, like Universal Credit.

Your partner’s income and savings could reduce your income-related ESA. If you receive contribution-based ESA, your partner will not affect this.

Living with adults (over 18)

If you live with another adult who is not your partner, this could reduce your benefits. This includes your children and other relatives if they are over 18.

Your housing benefits may be lower if the person counts as a ‘non-dependant’. This is called a ‘non-dependant deduction’. A non-dependant is an adult who is not liable for rent, for example an adult child or an elderly parent. It does not matter whether they contribute to your rent or not.

Non-dependant rules (entitledto)

The rules for living with adults over 18 are the same if they are related to you. For example:

• a parent
• your child if they are over 18

If everyone has their own rental agreement, that should not reduce your benefits.

For example:

• supported living, where you have your own written agreement with the owners
• a bedsit in a building with a shared bathroom where you have your own rental agreement

If you live in a house share with other tenants, they will not count as non-dependants.

Student accommodation

The rules are the same for student accommodation. The DWP does not treat student accommodation as temporary.

Most full-time students are not eligible for Universal Credit. But you can claim Universal Credit as a full-time student if all the following apply:

• you receive PIP
• your Work Capability Assessment says you have a 'limited capability for work'
• you had limited capability for work before you started your studies

Disability Rights UK has an advice and information line for disabled students, trainees and apprentices studying in England.

Disabled Students Helpline (Disability Rights UK)

Student Finance Wales has information for students in Wales.

Contact Student Finance Wales

How student finance affects your benefits

Guests staying over

Having guests to stay should not affect your benefits.

There are no set rules about how often or how long someone can stay before the DWP decides that the person lives with you. Some people think there is a limit of 3 nights a week. This is not true.

But it could affect your benefits if the DWP thinks you have started to live together with someone.

The DWP might ask you to show that you both have your own homes.

Benefits: having someone stay over

If a child under 18 moves in with you

If a child under 18 moves in, you may be able to:

• receive Universal Credit child element or disabled child element
• claim benefits for an extra bedroom

You need to have responsibility for that child. This usually means you are their parent.

Qualifying young person when your child is 16 to 19

This can depend on:

• if you are moving to a new local authority
• the number of bedrooms in your new home
• if you are in social housing or renting privately

A new local authority usually means moving to Universal Credit

You must make a new claim for Universal Credit because of a change in circumstances if:

• you move to a new local authority and
• you need benefits to help you pay your rent

If you are receiving older, legacy benefits, these will stop after you claim Universal Credit.

Moving to Universal Credit and transitional protection

If your new home is in the same local authority as your old home, the DWP does not usually treat this as a change in circumstances. You should be able to stay on Housing Benefit.

The number of bedrooms in your home (bedroom tax)

If you are under State Pension age, there are rules about the number of bedrooms you can have.

The rules do not apply if you have separate rental agreements from other people you live with.

The rules are for:

• Housing Benefit or
• the housing element of Universal Credit

Some disabled adults and children are exempt if they need their own bedroom because of their condition.

Your maximum housing benefit should be the same as your rent if everyone has their own separate rental agreement. For example, in supported living.

If you need regular care overnight, you may be allowed a room for your carer. This is as long as your carer does not live with you, also called a non-resident carer or personal assistant. You must also receive one of the following:

• PIP daily living component
• DLA care component at middle or high rate
• Attendance Allowance at high rate if you receive Housing Benefit or any rate if you receive Universal Credit

Bedroom tax and housing benefits

Use a free online benefits calculator to work out if you are affected by bedroom tax.

Turn2us benefits calculator

Renting from a private landlord

If you are renting from a private landlord, there are extra rules about how many bedrooms you are allowed.

• You can only claim for up to 4 bedrooms, even if you meet the eligibility criteria for more.
• There's a limit on how much Housing Benefit you can get, called the Local Housing Allowance, set by your local authority.

Local Housing Allowance can mean that any benefit you get for housing is less than your rent.

Search for Local Housing Allowance rates by postcode or local authority (GOV.UK)

If you are receiving legacy benefits, you might have to move to Universal Credit if you:

• move to a different local authority or
• change who you live with

The DWP calls this a ‘change in circumstances’.

All disability premiums are ‘legacy’. 

You must make a new claim

After a change in circumstances, your legacy benefits stop. You must make a new claim for Universal Credit. The DWP does not do this automatically.

Change of circumstances on Universal Credit

Use a free online calculator to check how moving to Universal Credit will affect your finances.

Turn2us benefits calculator

It usually takes 5 weeks to start receiving Universal Credit after you apply.

You should get Housing Benefit for another 2 weeks after submitting your claim. But you may have a gap before your first payment of Universal Credit, and you still need to pay your rent.

You can ask for an advance payment to help with this. This can be up to 100% of your first monthly payment. The amount will depend on your circumstances. You should get an advance payment if you ask, but you will need to pay it back.

Contact Universal Credit (GOV.UK)

Applying for Universal Credit

Support for renting on Universal Credit

You may not need a reassessment

DWP will not reassess you when you move to Universal Credit if:

• you are transferring from Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and
• you already have ‘limited capability for work’ or ‘limited capability for work-related activity’

Work Capability Assessment

This also means you will not need to provide another fit note.

Increases in rent are not usually a change in circumstances. The DWP should not move you to Universal Credit because your rent increases.

But you do need to declare your rent increase. Who you contact depends on which benefit you receive:

• For Universal Credit, contact the DWP Universal Credit helpline.
• For Housing Benefit, contact your local authority.

All 3 disability premiums are part of legacy benefits. To be eligible, you must receive 1 of these older, legacy benefits that have been replaced by Universal Credit:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Housing Benefit

The legacy disability premiums are:

• Disability Premium
• Severe Disability Premium
• Enhanced Disability Premium

If you receive any of these disability premiums, you will stop receiving them if you start claiming Universal Credit. You may be worse off receiving Universal Credit.

Disability premiums

Disability Premium and Enhanced Disability Premium

There are no rules about who you can live with and still receive Disability Premium or Enhanced Disability Premium.

But who you live with could affect your other benefits.

The type of housing you live in should not affect whether you receive these premiums.

Severe Disability Premium

There are criteria for who you can live with if you receive Severe Disability Premium.

These rules apply to adults you live with unless you all have separate rental agreements.

If you start living with someone who does not meet these criteria, you will stop being eligible for Severe Disability Premium.

Living with someone and Severe Disability Premium

The type of housing you live in should not affect whether you receive this premium.

There are 2 ways you could qualify for transitional payments when you move to Universal Credit:

1. The DWP writes to say they are moving you to Universal Credit in a ‘managed migration’. You could receive transitional protection. You should not be worse off.
2. You are eligible for Severe Disability Premium and you move to Universal Credit after a change in circumstances, such as moving to a new local authority. You could be eligible to receive the transitional element of Universal Credit. You could still be worse off.

Both types of transitional payment reduce as your Universal Credit increases.

Moving to Universal Credit and transitional protection

There are 2 types of ESA:

• New Style ESA, also called contributory ESA or contribution-based ESA
• income-related ESA

If you have not claimed ESA before, you can only claim New Style ESA.

Easy read: New Style Employment and Support Allowance (GOV.UK)

If you have an existing claim for income-related ESA, your claim should continue if your circumstances do not change.

Existing claim for income-related ESA

To check which type of ESA you claim, check your decision letter.

You can also call Jobcentre Plus on 0800 169 0310.

Other types of ESA (Contribution-Based and New Style)

Your partner's income, savings and work will not affect either:

• Contribution-Based ESA
• or New Style ESA

If you rent your home and claim Universal Credit, you may be entitled to housing benefits and financial support.

Universal Credit: what else you are entitled to

Housing element of Universal Credit

You could get the housing element to help with rent. This is on top of your standard Universal Credit allowance.

Housing element is for you to use as:

• rent to a private landlord
• rent and service charges to a housing association or local authority

You cannot use housing element to pay a mortgage.

Housing Benefit

Universal Credit is replacing Housing Benefit. You can only make a new claim for Housing Benefit if you:

• are over State Pension age (and your partner who lives with you is too)
• live in temporary accommodation arranged by the council
• live in supported or sheltered accommodation

Who is eligible for Housing Benefit

Showing that you can afford rent

When you move home, landlords might ask for evidence that you can afford the rent.

If you receive Universal Credit housing element, you can show them:

• your Universal Credit award letter or
• a statement on your Universal Credit journal

This could be a printout or a screenshot on a phone. You can also ask DWP to post a copy.

Contact Universal Credit (GOV.UK)

If you receive Housing Benefit, you can show landlords the award letter from your local authority.

Contact your local council (GOV.UK)

Discretionary Housing Payment

If your rent is more than your benefit, you might be able to apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP).

You need to receive:

• Universal Credit housing element or
• Housing Benefit

Discretionary Housing Payment

If you are in rent arrears

Missing a rent payment will put you in rent arrears. 

If you are 2 months or more behind with rent, your landlord can ask for your housing element to go to them.

Rent arrears

If you have been threatened with eviction, it is best to get legal advice.

Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service provides free legal advice.

Eviction (Shelter)

There is some support available if you are a homeowner and you receive Universal Credit.

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)

SMI is a loan to help you pay the interest on a mortgage. You may be eligible if you have been on Universal Credit for 3 months in a row.

Some people think that you cannot get SMI if you have any earnings. This is no longer true.

If you live with a partner and either of you is over State Pension age, you might still be eligible.

There are other benefits that mean you could get SMI:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Pension Credit

You need to pay SMI back with interest if you sell or transfer ownership of your property.

See if you are eligible for Support for Mortgage Interest (GOV.UK)

Universal Credit and selling your home

If you sell your home and plan to buy another, money from the sale can be disregarded for 6 months. This means:

• the DWP does not count the money as savings and
• it will not affect your Universal Credit payments

It might take you longer than 6 months to find a new home that suits your needs. If this happens, the 6 months can be extended.

Universal Credit: Money, savings and investments (GOV.UK)

There are places where you can get free or cheap food. 

Free food and food banks 

If you need support with energy bills, there is some support available from government and local authorities.

Government help with energy bills

Contact Scope to arrange an appointment if you would like free phone or email support.

Contact Scope’s Disability Energy Support

Help with bills and the cost of living