COUNCILS are sitting on MILLIONS of pounds of unspent cash meant to be put towards helping struggling renters – here’s how to claim.
Soaring bills, transport costs, fuel hikes and more have been pummelling families’ finances as a cost of living crisis continues to bite.
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Renters are also feeling the crunch, with councils dishing out £171million to help those on benefits or Universal Credit pay for housing costs for the financial year ending March 2021, up 30% the year before.
To make sure hard-up Brits keep a roof over their heads, the government announced in October last year that £65million of extra funding would be available to those on low incomes in rent arrears.
The funding has been sliced up and given to individual councils in England to dish out to families.
The support is available over the winter months, which means many councils left with just a matter of weeks – up until the end of March – to divvy out the cash.
But an investigation by The Sun has found that millions of pounds of this extra funding is still yet to be awarded, while households struggle to make ends meet.
There are 333 local authorities in England.
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Of the 66 local councils that replied to a Freedom of Information request by The Sun, just £520,000 (7%) of the total £7.2million in funding these local authorities received had been given out to those in need.
Nearly half (48%) of these councils had not distributed ANY of their extra funding to households.
Some said they had only received the extra cash from the government at the end of December last year – two months after the funding was announced – while others said they had not yet decided how to give out the money.
As the cash is dished out to renters on a case-by-case basis by each local authority, what you can get varies depending on where you live and your financial situation.
The highest single amount given out to a family in need was made by New Forest District Council, who awarded £8,584 to one household.
While the lowest single amount awarded to hard-up households was made by Blackpool Council, who dished out £683.08.
The Sun also found that some councils were more likely to divvy out the cash than others.
Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council gave a combined total of £139,615 in support to 134 families, with the highest single amount awarded at £4,448.
East Devon District Council awarded £20,758 in total to 19 families with the highest single amount standing at £3,838, while Cheshire East Council distributed a total of £38,561 to 18 families – and the highest payment awarded was £7,494.
Turn2us head of external affairs Sara Willcocks said that while the charity welcomed the extra funding for renters in arrears when it was announced last year, more needs to be done to dish the money out.
“Months later, we are disappointed that over half of local authorities have failed to provide this critical support to households struggling to get by,” she said.
“These funds need to urgently be distributed to those struggling to manage mounting rent arrears and help prevent millions more people having to choose between keeping a roof over their head or putting food on their tables.”
While Shelter chief executive Polly Neate said funding needs to reach renters while the pandemic has “pushed hundreds of thousands of people into debt”.
She added: “The Covid arrears fund urgently needs to reach the renters who are struggling the most, because if it doesn’t more people will find themselves out on the streets.
“Renters need this money now so they can pay off their arrears and keep hold of their homes.”
How to claim
Each council will decide if you are eligible for the funding and how much to give to you on a case-by-case basis.
That means you’ll need to contact your local authority – which you can do so using the gov.uk council finder tool online – to find out who yours is.
If your council awards you cash, it is likely that the money will be paid directly to your existing landlord you owe money to, or a new landlord if the money is to help you find a new home.
How else can I get help with rent?
If you’re not eligible for the cash help from your council, there are other ways to get a helping hand with your rent.
Discretionary Housing Payment
For those on Universal Credit falling behind on rent, you can apply for a Discretionary Housing Payment.
This help can be used to cover housing costs like putting down a deposit, and advances you’ll need for moving house.
Help will be given out on a case-by-case basis, meaning there’s no guarantee on how much you’ll get.
But recent research showed some councils were offering up to £4,500 to families.
Household Support Fund
The Household Support Fund is another scheme councils have in place where you can get cash to put towards rent in some cases.
The £500million government programme sees councils offering money to help you pay your bills – which you could put towards housing costs.
For example, Shropshire Council is offering £115 in free cash, with Birmingham Council offering up to £200 to families.
Welfare Assistance scheme
The Welfare Assistance scheme is another pot of money councils may have in place which you can apply to for help with rent.
Some local authorities may offer to put money towards paying your rent – East Riding of Yorkshire for example is handing out up to £1,000 in free cash which you could put towards this cost.
A Sun investigation found that the help you can get under the scheme is a postcode lottery – some councils don’t even offer this help to families.
But for those with a scheme in place, a spike in grants happened over the Covid crisis, with councils handing out grants soaring by 210% in some places.
Talk to your landlord
Talk to your landlord if you’re worried you can’t cover your rent costs.
By being upfront at the start, you could discuss setting a better rate while you get yourself back up and running.
You could also ask for an affordable repayment plan to pay back what you owe if you’re already in arrears.
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