Do I qualify?

If you want to know how much help you might receive towards your rent and council tax you can log on to the Telford and Wrekin Councils website and use their online calculator, or call them on 01952 383838. You will need details of your rent, income, capital and household members.

Alternatively you can contact your area Welfare Benefit Advisor. Either drop into your local area Trust shop or office, call 01952 217100 or send an email (remember to include you name, address and a daytime telephone number if possible).
You can email your local benefit advisor using the links on the right hand side of the page.

How do I claim?

To claim Housing/Council Tax Benefit, you need to complete a Housing/Council Tax Benefit Application form, available from your local Trust shop or office, Civic Offices, online, or you can request a form from the council by emailing them on benefit.service@telford.gov.uk. Remember to include your name and address.

The local council –Telford & Wrekin – is responsible for processing your claim and will write to you to tell you how much benefit you qualify for. If you think you may be entitled, it is important to request a form as soon as possible as Housing and Council Tax Benefit is not always automatically backdated.

What is Landlord Verification?

Landlord Verification allows us to offer you more help with your Housing Benefit claim and speeds up the whole process. Landlord Verification is run in partnership with Telford and Wrekin Council. Members of all our area teams have had extensive training from the council, allowing them to help you with Housing Benefit application form, advise you on what documents are needed, help you to notify changes to your circumstances, copy your original documents and send your forms/documents direct to the council for you.

By signing a simple form and giving your consent, we can offer you the Landlord Verification service, and the council will keep us informed if further information is needed from you. You only need to give your consent once and you can withdraw it at any time.
For more details, drop into your local Trust shop or office.

Housing Benefit overpayments

Overpayments happen when you have received too much Housing Benefit, for example because your circumstances have changed. You should receive notifications showing any Housing Benefit that has been overpaid. If you disagree with the amounts, or can’t understand the information you should always ask for help as soon as possible.

If you are still receiving Housing Benefit, the council may reduce your weekly entitlement by a set amount (approx £9.00 per week) until the overpayment is cleared. This means that you will need to pay extra onto your rent account to make sure that you do not fall into arrears.
If the amount the council is deducting is causing financial hardship, you can ask them to reduce it. You may have to complete an ‘income and expenditure’ form to show what money you pay out on a regular basis and what money you have coming in. You can contact the Overpayment Team at the council on 01952 383984 for further advice about this.

To speak to your area Welfare Benefit Advisor about your overpayment, drop into your local shop or call 217100

Sometimes, the council will send us an invoice for the overpayment. We will always try to make contact with you in these circumstances, to explain the reasons for the overpayment and what will happen if we repay it. Once repaid, the whole amount would be debited from your rent account, and may lead to rent arrears. If you have a Housing Benefit Overpayment, you may also have a Council Tax Benefit overpayment.

If you receive a Council Tax Bill and cannot afford the payments requested YOU MUST CONTACT THE COUNCIL ON 383838 as soon as possible and discuss it with them. Do not ignore any letters that you receive about your Council Tax otherwise you may end up with a visit from the bailiffs.

Understanding Housing Benefit Notifications

After you claim, you will receive ‘notifications’ about your entitlement. These can be very confusing but it is very important that you check all of the details carefully. Your Housing Executive can help you with this and put you in contact with a Welfare Benefit Advisor if you need further help.  

What if my circumstances change?

You should always let the council know if your circumstances change. You can call them on 01952 383838, email them on benefit.service@telford.gov.uk. Remember to include your name and address and Housing Benefit claim number.

Some examples of changes you must tell them about are:

• If someone moves into, or out of, your home
• If your income changes 
• If there are changes in the benefits you receive     

Drop into your local Trust shop or office for further advice.  If you claim other welfare benefits such as Tax Credits or Income Support etc, changes to your circumstances could make a difference to your entitlements. If in doubt, you should always report any changes.