How to apply

Making a claim for housing benefit

If you are claiming Income Support or Jobseeker's Allowance, the housing benefit claim forms will be in your Income Support / Jobseeker's Allowance claim pack. Fill in the forms and take them with you to your jobseeker interview.

Otherwise, you can apply in the following ways:

1. apply for housing benefit online now
2. request a housing benefit claim form
3. download and print the claim form now

If you need help filling in the claim form

Our staff can help you fill in your claim form. Bring it to Access Point in Catford or Deptford, or get advice from your local housing office (for Council tenants).

If you are housebound, ill, elderly or have difficulty getting around, we can arrange a home visit by one of our officers.

Sending us the form and other documents

When you have filled in the form, sign it and send it to:

Information required with your application
You will also need to send us proof of your identity
proof of your rent (if Lewisham Homes is not your landlord), proof of income (earnings or benefits) and evidence of how much savings you have.

If you cannot provide all the proof we need straight away, do not worry. Send the form as soon as you have filled it in, but let us know that you will be sending some proof later. If you don’t send us the form straight way, you may lose money.

What happens next

We will write back to you to let you know our decision. If you are eligible for housing benefit, we will tell you how much we will pay.

If your circumstances change
You must tell us about any change in your circumstance that may affect your housing benefit entitlement. Some examples are:

• your income support or guarantee credit stops
• your earnings increase
• someone comes to live with you or leaves
• you change your address
• your rent goes up or down

Call us on 020 8690 8444 to tell us about the change. We will then ask you to fill in a change of circumstance form.