DHP is primarily designed to help with housing-related costs, but it can indirectly ease pressure caused by high energy bills or rising living costs.

Support may help with:

• Rent shortfalls where benefits don’t cover full rent

• Temporary financial hardship affecting housing stability

• Increased costs due to illness, disability or changes in circumstances

• Situations where housing costs and affordability overlap with energy pressures

Payments are usually time-limited and reviewed regularly.

You may be considered if all of the following apply:

• You receive Housing Benefit, or

• You receive Universal Credit with a housing element,
  and

• Your benefits do not fully cover your rent or housing costs

• You are experiencing financial pressure or hardship

There is no automatic entitlement. Each application is assessed individually by your local authority.

Find your local council:

👉 https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

Each local council:

• Receives a limited annual DHP budget from central government

• Sets its own assessment criteria within national guidance

• Decides how long payments last and how much is awarded

Councils will typically consider:

• Household income and essential outgoings

• Medical or disability needs

• Risk of eviction or homelessness

• Whether the housing costs are reasonable for the area

Awards are not permanent and may need to be reapplied for.

Step 1 — Apply through your local council

There is no national application form. Applications must be made directly to your local authority.

Search your council website for:

• “Discretionary Housing Payment”

• “DHP application”

Or start here:

👉 https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council

Most councils offer:

• Online application forms

• Telephone applications

• Support through housing or benefits teams

Step 2 — Provide supporting information

You may be asked to provide:

• Proof of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit

• Rent or tenancy details

• Bank statements

• Evidence of hardship or additional costs

Councils assess real financial pressure, not just benefit status.

• Your council reviews your application

• They may contact you for more information

• You receive a written decision

If approved:

• Payments may be made to you or directly to your landlord

• Support is usually awarded for a fixed period

If refused:

• You can usually ask for the decision to be reviewed

• You may need to provide further clarification or supporting documents

Discretionary Housing Payments are often overlooked because:

• They are locally administered

• They are not widely advertised

• They sit outside headline national schemes

Yet for many households, DHP can be one of the fastest ways to stabilise finances when housing costs become unmanageable.