Change in circumstance for Housing Benefit
If your circumstances change, you have one month from the date of the change to tell us about it. You will also have to give us evidence of the change.
If there is a change in circumstance, you might be getting the wrong amount of benefit. If you don’t get enough benefit, you will lose money if you don’t tell us about the change. If you get too much benefit, you will have to repay the over-payment to us.
If don’t let us know about a change in circumstance, you will be committing benefit fraud. You can find out about benefit fraud on GOV.UK.
You need to tell us if you or anyone living with you:
- has a change of income
- has a change of savings or capital
- moves in or out of your home
- changes job (including working hours or employer)
- leaves home temporarily (to go to hospital or to prison)
- has a change in other benefits
- has a change in rent
- leaves Great Britain for four weeks or more, for any reason
These are examples of the sort of thing you need to tell us about, and it is not a complete list. If you are not sure, tell us anyway.
If you claim Housing Benefit, you are responsible for reporting any change in circumstance. You can’t rely on anyone else to report the change for you.
You have one month from reporting your change of circumstance to give us the evidence we need. If you don’t, we will suspend your claim.
To report a change of circumstances, you will need:
- your name, address and contact details
- your benefits claim number, which starts with 100
- the date each change happened or is going to happen
- full information about each change
Online
You can tell us about a change online now.
By phone
To tell us about a change in circumstance by phone, you can call 01245 606400.
Online
You can visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/upload to submit scanned or photographed images of your:
- original documents
- completed Discretionary Housing Payment applications
- completed Self-Employed, Authority to Discuss, Childcare Costs forms or other signed forms
By post
You can send documents to:
Benefit Section
Civic Centre
Duke Street
Chelmsford
CM1 1JE
If you submit your evidence by post, we will post it back to you.