Are you about to move
Change of circumstances
- If you have changes you want to tell us about use the change in circumstances form
(PDF 89KB). You must tell us if you are moving.
Change of address
- If you are moving and you are a private tenant use the change of address form(PDF 262KB).
Print out the form and fill it in. You must sign the form and send it with supporting evidence to
Barnet Council, Housing Benefits, PO Box 989, Northampton, NN3 0DB
Moving within the borough
If you are moving within the borough you do not have to make a new claim, you just need to tell us in writing of the move. We may need to suspend your claim whilst we work out what benefit you can receive at your new address.
Moving elsewhere in the country
We can only award Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to people who live within Barnet. We can also award benefit if you are living in a hostel that is in another borough but run by Barnet. Tell us of the change before it happens to avoid overpayments.
Private tenants
Private Tenants can find out the maximum Housing Benefit you could receive before you sign a new contract. This means that you can avoid renting an expensive home where Housing Benefit will not meet all of the rent. The maximum Housing Benefit you are entitled to will be based on the Local Housing Allowance rate at the time you are making a claim. If your tenancy includes meals, or you are renting a caravan, houseboat or a room in a hostel ask us for a Pre-tenancy determination form as these will not be assessed under Local Housing Allowance rules.
What happens next
- You and your new landlord fill in the details of the new property, tell us how much the landlord is charging and return it to us.
- We then send it to the Rent Officer who will send their decision to both yourself and the new landlord. The Rent Officer will tell you whether the rent being charged by your landlord is reasonable.
Please note that a Pre-Tenancy Determination will not take account of certain reductions in your benefit. This could be reduced if your income is higher than the amount set by the government or if there are non-dependants in your household.
What if the Rent Officer decision or Local Housing Allowance is lower than the rent that the landlord is charging?
If the Rent Officer decision or Local Housing Allowance rate is lower than the rent your new landlord is charging, you have a number of choices
- you can decide the rent is too expensive and find a new property to rent
- you can negotiate with your new landlord to reduce the rent being charged
- you can decide that you can pay the difference between the Rent Officer decision or Local Housing Allowance rate and the rent yourself
Email this pageLast modified by: Jon Barnett on 02/06/2011