Landlords receiving housing benefit for tenants
What happens when my tenant is paid too much benefit?
If your tenant has a change in their circumstances, there may be a change to the amount of housing benefit that they are entitled to (for example, if their income increases). This may result in an overpayment of housing benefit and we will try to recover this amount in most cases.
If your tenant remains in receipt of housing benefit, this would usually be by an ongoing deduction from housing benefit payments until the debt is clear.
If your tenant's entitlement to housing benefit ends, we will decide who to recover the overpaid benefit from. For example, if you received the benefit on behalf of your tenant you could receive an invoice for the amount of overpaid benefit. When we decide to recover an amount overpaid from you, we will send you a notification letter explaining the amount of overpaid benefit, the period that the overpaid benefit relates to and the reasons for our decision.
How long will I have to repay overpaid housing benefit?
You will have 28 days from the date of the invoice to repay the amount. If you do not think you can pay within 28 days you should contact the Debt Recovery section immediately to make an arrangement.
If we do not receive a payment from you and have not accepted an arrangement to pay, then you would receive a court notice. For information about housing benefit overpayments, repayments and court proceedings, please contact us.
What happens if I disagree with your decision?
The decisions that you are allowed to contest as a landlord are restricted to:
- The amount of any payment/overpayment of benefit
- The period that a benefit has been/will be paid for
- The fact that we have decided to recover an overpayment directly from you
For more information about how to appeal, see benefit appeals.
Last updated: 30/10/2023 10:05
