Benefits and help paying your rent

Universal Credit supports you if you are on a low income or out of work. It includes a monthly payment to help with your living costs.

Apply for Universal Credit [external link]

For Help and Support

Universal Credit Helpline – 0800 328 5644, Textphone – 0800 328 1344

Online Access is available at:

Jobcentre Plus Office, Darlington
Darlington Borough Council Customer Contact Centre at the Town Hall
If you require Assisted Digital Support to help to complete your online application or update your journal, or you require Personal Budgeting Support to help with managing your budget, you should speak to your Job Coach who will help arrange this.

Council Tax - for help to pay your Council Tax apply see our Council tax online forms page.

Discretionary Housing Payments – if your Universal Credit payment isn’t enough to pay your rent and you need help, apply for Discretionary Housing Payments online using our Benefits online forms page.

Help for Landlords

The Understanding Universal Credit website includes a landlord section [external link] containing lots of handy tips and facts to support landlords. 

Housing Benefit can help you pay your rent if you’re unemployed, on a low income or claiming benefits. It’s being replaced by Universal Credit.

You can only make a new claim for Housing Benefit if one of the following is true:

• you’re getting the severe disability premium, or are entitled to it
• you got or were entitled to the severe disability premium within the last month and are still eligible for it
• you have reached State Pension age
• you live in temporary accommodation
• you live in sheltered or supported housing with special facilities such as alarms or wardens
• you’re staying in a hostel where care, support or supervision are provided

If you meet the criteria you can apply for housing benefit [external link]

Local Housing Allowance

Use our bedroom calculator to find out how much you're entitled to [external link]

Local housing allowance is paid directly into your bank or building society account. If you do not already have a bank or building society account, you may need to set one up.

We can pay Local housing allowance direct to your landlord if we decide you are vulnerable (this means you have difficulties managing your own affairs) or unlikely to pay your rent. Evidence to support your request will need to be supplied to us, usually in writing. 

Safeguard policy [pdf document]

If you do not use your local housing allowance to pay your rent, your landlord may take you to court, or try to evict you and you may lose your home.

LHA rates from April 2020 - March 2021 for Darlington

Broad rental market area [pdf document]

Number of bedrooms and their weekly fees

Landlord Portal

Access the Landlord Portal by clicking the blue heading above and following the instructions to sign in.

If you have forgotten your USERNAME or PASSWORD please click the link above and follow the forgotten username or password links.

If you don’t have a Landlord Portal account please e-mail [email protected] with the following information asking to be set up.

Name
Address
Company Name (if you have one)
Landlord Number
We will then e-mail you some registration details following a security check.