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Moving Home

 

When you are receiving Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit and you are planning to move you have to inform us of the following:

 

  • Tell us when you are moving house.  Please try to inform us of your change of address before it occurs, if possible, if not as soon as possible afterwards.  This is important as any overpaid benefit caused by your moving is recoverable;

 

  • If you are a tenant of a private landlord, you should apply for a Pre-Tenancy Determination before you agree to accept the tenancy.  The Pre-Tenancy Determination will tell you if the rent is reasonable for the property before you accept the tenancy.  This is a useful guide to show you how much Housing Benefit you may be entitled to and assists us in processing your application faster;

 

  • When you are in receipt of Housing / Council Tax Benefit and you are planning to move within the Local Authority Area, you do not need to make a full application for benefit, as this is now classed as a change of circumstances. However, you DO need to provide the following WRITTEN information:

 

              The date you are moving;

              Confirmation that your financial and household circumstances are the same;

              Provide evidence of your new rental liability; and

              Confirm to whom you would like the payment to be made.

        

  • If you accept a tenancy and are unable to move into it straight away we may not be able to pay your full rent from the day the tenancy started.  Please call our Benefits Helpline if you have any queries surrounding this on (01622) 602557.

 

 

If the above action is taken and the correct information supplied we can:

 

  • Make a decision on your application as soon as possible after all the information has been supplied;

 

  • Assess whether you may be eligible for ‘overlapping benefit’.  This is where you receive benefit for your old and new address and can be awarded in exceptional circumstances.  As a rule Housing Benefit can only be paid once you have moved into a property.  For Housing Benefit to be paid from the start of your tenancy, you must complete and return an application form to Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6JQ within the week that you move into the property.