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Forum Home  →  Discussion  →  Housing costs  →  Thread

DHP & help with tenancy deposits

Breathe Advice Services
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Breathe Advice Services, New Heights Warren Farm Community Project

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Joined: 24 April 2019

I have a client with 1 child who was homeless and was advised by the local council that she would get help with her deposit as she was moving into private accommodation because the property was near to her father as she is the designated carer and claims carers allowance for this . The council could not guarantee that they would be able to rehouse her close to her father as the areas requested have high demand with very little properties available which are suitable to her housing need .  Her private tenancy began on 1 March 2021 and is now claiming UC & housing costs . She made a claim for DHP prior to moving in for help towards her deposit but was advised that she was not eligible as she had not moved into the property (tenancy) at that time . The client had to borrow her deposit etc from her sister and the client has now to pay her sister back which is

Any advice in this matter as to the next steps etc would be very much appreciated

Ruth_T
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Volunteer adviser - Corby Borough Welfare Rights & CAB

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A DHP can only be paid to someone who is in receipt of either HB or the housing element of UC.  You say that your client hadn’t moved in to her new property yet - that alone would not be cause for refusing a DHP.

Prisca
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benefits section (training & accuracy) Bristol city council

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If she was Homeless, was she getting HB at a temp accommodation / homesless/ hostel property?
She HAS to be in receipt of HB or UCHE to be eligible for a DHP

it may be that the local council homeless section has a different pot of money to pay rent, but in many authorities these are loans which are meant to be paid back.

if she was getting HB, then its that local authority that would be responsible for awarding the DHP, regardless of where she was moving to ( so if she was getting HB at homeless accommodation in Nottingham , but wanted rent in advance./ deposit for an address near her dad in Brighton,, its Nottingham that would be responsible for paying the DHP)

The DWP guidnace state a DHP for rent in advance / deposit has to be for a property ” that the customer has yet to move into” but some authorities will consider a DHP after she has moved if she can evidence how the deposit was paid.