Housing Benefit is meant to help with the rent you pay for your home. It is not meant to help with day-to-day costs like food or heating. The amount we can consider paying Housing Benefit on is called your "maximum rent". This may not be the same as the rent you have to pay to your landlord.

Housing Benefit cannot help with the following:

• Mortgage payments.
• The cost of fuel (unless this is for a shared area).
• The cost of meals*.
• Water charges.
• Service charges for personal laundry.
• Service charges for cleaning your home (unless you and everyone in your household are not able to do it for yourselves).
• Ground rent and service charges for your home if the lease was originally for more than 21 years.

If your rent includes any of the above, we will make appropriate deductions** when we work out your benefit.

Increases in rent to cover rent arrears cannot also be paid for by Housing Benefit.

However, Housing Benefit can cover service charges included in your rent which are for communal services such as heating & cleaning of communal areas, refuse collection & lifts.

** Deductions for ineligible inclusive services are determined by The Rent Service which is reflected in The Rent Officers Decision regarding your rent.