For official use only – date
issued
For official use only – date
received
If you would like a large print version of this form,
please ask for one
Discretionary Housing Payment and Council Tax Discretionary
Reduction Application form
Discretionary Housing Payments:
If the amount of Housing Benefit you receive is less than the amount you have to
pay or you cannot afford to pay a deposit or rent in advance on a new property, you
may be able to get help from the Discretionary Housing Payments fund.
Discretionary Housing Payments can only be made to people in receipt of Housing
Benefit. If you are not currently in receipt, you need to make a claim through our
Crisis Support Payments Scheme instead.
Any ongoing assistance award made from the Discretionary Housing Payments fund
should be viewed as short-term emergency assistance as the award will be made for
a limited period of time or as a one off. An ongoing award is intended to give you an
opportunity to sort out your financial situation and/or find more affordable alternative
accommodation. We may advise you if we think that you need to move to cheaper
accommodation. Our Housing Officers will be able to offer you advice and possibly
financial assistance with this. If you choose not to move or accept their advice, we
probably will not make any further awards to you.
Deposit and rent in advance payments will only be made if the new property is
affordable and normally also if you will not need assistance from the fund towards
your new rent liability unless circumstances change.
Please also note the following;
 For rent in advance and/or deposits, the maximum award is one month’s rent
for each item so if the new landlord agent is asking for more than this you will
need to demonstrate that you will be able to pay the balance yourself or
renegotiate the deposit with the landlord.
 We cannot make an award for a property where the rent is more than 10%
above the Local Housing Allowance rate which is applicable to your
household.
 We cannot pay fees unless your deposit has been arranged through the
Council’s deposit bond scheme.
 We can only make an award if you have an urgent need to move.
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Council Tax Discretionary Discount Scheme:
If you are unable to pay your remaining amount of council tax after we have
calculated your Council Tax Support then you may be able to get help from the
Council Tax Support Exceptional Hardship Fund.
Although anyone in receipt of Council Tax Support can submit a claim you will be
more likely to receive help if you are in one of the vulnerable groups below:
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You are disabled
You are a lone parent with children under 5 receiving certain benefits
You are a carer receiving certain benefits due to a low income
Have suffered domestic violence in the last 12 months
You are a foster carer
You are a care leaver under 22
You have been in a hostel for at least 3 months
You are attending a rehabilitation programme for drug or alcohol dependency
Any award from the Council Tax Support Exceptional Hardship Fund will reduce the
remaining council tax liability for a specific period. The duration and amount of
reduction will be dependent on the specific circumstances of each applicant and
each decision will be decided on its own merits.
If you are not receiving Council Tax Support but are suffering financial hardship or
can show that your personal circumstances justify a reduction in council tax you may
be able to get a temporary discretionary Council Tax discount. Your circumstances
would need to be exceptional for an award to be made.
The money for Discretionary Housing Payments and the Council Tax Discretionary
Discount Scheme comes from a limited fund and there is no automatic entitlement.
Because the amount that the council is able to pay each year is limited, not all
applications will be successful. This means that we have to look at your
circumstances very closely, and may need to ask you some personal questions
about your financial situation. This is because we need to make sure funds go to
those people who need them most. An award can only be made if council funds
are available.
If you would like to make an application for Discretionary Housing Payments and/or
the Council Tax Discretionary Discount Scheme please complete this form as fully
as possible.
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Section 1: Personal details:
Name:
Address
Housing Benefit claim number / Council Tax Support reference number
Email address
Daytime telephone number
Preferred method of contact
Telephone
Email
Letter
Section 2: About your application
Are you applying for help with your council tax, your rent (including rent in advance
and deposits) or both?
Council Tax
Rent
Both
If you are only applying for help with your council tax you can skip Section 3 and go
to Section 4: About your council tax
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Section 3: Rent
(a) Details about rent
Are you applying for help with a deposit and/or rent in advance or ongoing
assistance towards your rent?
Deposit
Rent in advance
Ongoing assistance
If your application is for rent in advance or a deposit, please answer the following;
(If not, please skip to Section 4)
Address of the property you will be moving into:
Date you are hoping to move in:
Name, address and contact number for the new landlord/agent:
Do you give permission for the council to contact the landlord should any details
need to be verified?
Yes
No
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Please provide the reasons why you feel you need to move:
(b) Deposits
How much is the deposit?
£
We will need proof of this from your new landlord before we can deal with your
application
Do you have any money to pay towards the deposit yourself? If so, please specify
the amount you can afford to pay.
£
What steps have you taken to try and get this money eg have you seen the council’s
Housing Officers?
Why have you been unable to get the money from elsewhere? eg did you have a
deposit on your current property and if so, why will this not be returned to you?
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(c) Rent In Advance
How much is the rent in advance?
£
We will need proof of this from your new landlord before we can deal with your
application
Do you have any money to pay towards the rent in advance yourself? If so, please
specify the amount you can afford to pay.
£
What steps have you taken to try and get this money eg have you seen the council’s
Housing Officers?
Why have you been unable to get the money from elsewhere?
Section 4: About your Council Tax
If you are not applying for help with your council tax, please skip this section and go
to Section 5: About your financial circumstances
How much is your remaining charge after your Council Tax Support has been
deducted?
£
Do you have any outstanding council tax arrears?
Yes
No
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Have you ever received a court summons for unpaid council tax?
Yes
No
If you have any exceptional circumstances which have led you to ask for extra help
with your council tax please give full details?
Every applicant needs to complete all the remaining sections of this form
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Section 5: About your financial circumstances
If you are asking for help with rent in advance or a deposit, we will need to see up to
date statements and proof of your current balance.
Please fully complete the table below indicating how many accounts of each type
you have (if none please write “none”) and the current balance of all accounts
declared. If you do not have an account, please write “N/A” in the current balance
box.
Type
Number of accounts of
this type held
Current balance
Bank account
£
Building Society account
£
Post Office account
ISA
Shares
£
£
£
Any other capital
£
Is there anybody else that might be
able to help you with your rent or
council tax?
Do you have to spend any money on
unusual items?
If so please specify what these are and
how often they are bought?
Do you or your household have any
disabilities which mean you need to
spend extra money eg special diets,
additional heating, transport costs etc?
Looking at the money you are spending
carefully, do you feel that there are any
areas where you could make savings?
If you pay rent, do you have any rent
arrears? If yes, please provide
evidence
If you pay rent, have you received a
notice seeking possession?
If you pay rent and there are services
included please specify which ones
(gas, electric, water rates etc) and
provide proof from your landlord as to
how much of your weekly or monthly
rent is paid towards these
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About your income
Please ensure that all income that you or any member of your household receives is
included below
Income type
Earnings
Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit
Disabled Tax Credit
Income Support
Jobseekers Allowance
Employment and
Support Allowance
Incapacity Benefit
Industrial Injuries
Disablement Benefit
State Retirement
Pension
Pension Credit
Widows Benefit
Attendance Allowance
Disability Living
Allowance (Care
component)
Disability Living
Allowance (Mobility
Component) Please
indicate if this goes
towards a car
Personal Independence
Payment (Mobility
Component) Please
indicate if this goes
towards a car
Personal Independence
Payment (Daily Living
Component)
Carers Allowance
Child Benefit
Other state benefit
(please specify)
Maintenance
Occupational or
company pension
Personal
pension/annuity
Services pension
Received by
Amount
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
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How often paid
About your expenditure
Please take time to complete this section of the form carefully. It is important that
you do not miss anything out as we need a full picture of your finances. We may ask
you to provide proof of some items.
Expense
Rent
Council tax
Electricity
Gas
Water rates
Landline telephone
Food & grocery shopping
Toiletries
Launderette
Bus fares
Taxi fares
Mobile phone
TV Licence
Satellite/cable TV
Internet
Household insurance
Life insurance
Car insurance
Petrol/diesel
Car tax
Car repairs/MOTs
Drinking
Smoking
Clothing and shoes
including school uniform
School expenses
Gambling
Christmas/birthdays
Amount
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
Loans
Credit cards
Catalogue payments
Any other debts (please
specify)
Regular or occasional
expenditure associated
with illness or disability
Other (please specify)
£
£
£
£
Frequency
£
£
£
£
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Section 6: Other information
Do you have a support worker? If so,
please confirm their name and which
organisation they work for?
How did you find out about
Discretionary Housing Payments/
Council Tax Discretionary Reduction
Please give any additional information
that you feel is relevant to your
application. Use an additional sheet if
necessary
Section 7: Declaration
To be signed by you and your partner, if applicable.
I / we declare that the information provided on this form is correct and complete.
I / we have read and understood the advice and explanations on pages 1 & 2 of this
application form.
I / we undertake to notify the council promptly of all changes of circumstances which might
affect benefit payments after this form has been signed. I / we understand that if incorrect
information is supplied or fail to notify the council of a change in circumstances and
Discretionary Housing Payments are paid as a result, action including prosecution may be
taken against me, and Torbay Council will seek to recover any overpayments.
I /we authorise the council to make necessary enquiries to verify the information on this
form, this may include an interview or home visit.
Data Protection: I / we understand that the information on this form will be verified against
my/ our Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support claim, and any discrepancies will be
investigated.
I / we understand that if Discretionary Housing Payments are found to have been overpaid,
this could be recovered from a landlord, agent or third party.
Relevant information may be passed to the Department of Work & Pensions, or Inland
Revenue as permitted by law. We will not disclose any information about you to anyone
outside Torbay Council nor use information about you for other purposes unless the law
permits or requires us to. Contact may also be made with the council’s Housing Section.
Your signature
Partner’s signature
Date
Date
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Other available help with deposits if you are homeless or need to move
Where else can I go to for help with my deposit if I need to move?
The council’s Housing Options section can help in certain circumstances such as if
you are homeless/at risk of homelessness or it is accepted that your current
accommodation is not suitable.
You can ring Torbay Council Housing Services on 01803 208723 to make an
appointment to see a Housing Assessment Officer. Appointments are available at
Torquay, Paignton and Brixham Connections offices, or an officer may be able to
visit you in your home.
During your appointment the Housing Assessment Officer will ask you about your
housing situation and will tell you how the council may be able to help you.
Having difficulty paying your council tax?
If you are having problems meeting your monthly payments, please talk to us.
We can offer debt advice, and a range of payment options that may help.
By talking to us you could avoid additional costs being added to your account, and
further action being taken due to non-payment.
Our helpline number is 01803 207201.
You can also find out further information at www.torbay.gov.uk/counciltax.htm
Equality Statement
We are committed to ensuring that no member of the public or employee is treated
less favourably than any other on the grounds of gender, sexual orientation, race,
colour, religion, ethnic origin, age, disability or any other condition that cannot be
justified during our contact with you.
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