Housing Payments
From 1 April 2026, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) will be replaced by the Housing Payment (HP) strand of the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF).
The Housing Payment provides financial support towards housing costs and will be paid by the Council where we are satisfied that an applicant requires further financial assistance with housing costs
These payments are not designed to be a source of long-term income, and it is important to us that we help you to avoid needing this payment in the future. Therefore, most awards will be for a limited period only.
When we award a Housing Payment, we expect you to take some actions to help to improve your situation with our support and will talk to you about what these actions could be. This could include finding work, debt advice, or finding more affordable accommodation.
A customer who is receiving local Council Tax Support only, with no rental liability (e.g. an owner occupier) is not eligible to apply for a Housing Payment but could claim help with their Council Tax via an Exceptional Hardship Payment (EHP).
We treat every claim individually. The overall amount of extra payment is restricted by government limits.
When can a Housing Payment be made
We can only consider making a Housing Payment if one of the following applies:
- You are receiving Housing Benefit
- You are receiving Universal Credit with housing costs towards rental liability
And
- The benefit you receive does not cover your rent in full
We can only consider the Housing Payment if your circumstances justify extra financial help.
What we are unlikely to pay for
- Shortfalls caused by a non-dependent deduction or Housing Cost contribution
- Where Capital is in excess of £1,000
- Where the tenancy was not affordable when it was taken on
- Where the rent charged is of such an amount that the tenancy would still be unsustainable even if realistic steps to improve the household situation were achieved
- Where there is affordable and suitable, alternative accommodation available
- Where an applicant has multiple outstanding debts, and has no plans to seek professional debt advice, or to deal with the debt
- Where applicants are not prepared to take steps to reduce or remove their need for a Housing Payment or Exceptional Hardship Award
- Where fraud has been admitted or proven in relation to claims for Housing Benefit (HB), Universal Credit (UC), Council Tax Reduction (CTR) or Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP)/Housing Payments (HP)
- Where the applicant has a credit of more than £100 on their rent account.
How to make a claim
Download the Housing Payment application form.
Send it to:
City of Lincoln & North Kesteven District Council Shared Services
Revenues & Benefits Office
PO Box 1257
Lincoln, LN5 7PQ
What happens next
We will look at the details and decide whether we can award you the Housing Payment.
If we need more information before making a decision, we may telephone or write to you to ask for more information or for you to provide evidence.
If we make the award
We will write and tell you how much you will be paid and how long you will go on receiving it, the payment will be for a set time depending on the reason for the award. We may reduce or stop the award if your circumstances change or if we reach the government spending limit.
If we decide we cannot make the award
We will write to you and explain our decision.
If you do not agree with our decision
You can ask us to look at our decision again; if you want us to look at our decision again, you will need to write to us and explain why you think our decision is wrong, within 1 month of the decision being made. If we look at your claim again, it will be by a different member of staff who has not dealt with your claim before.