Apply for Housing Benefit

After you have applied for Housing Benefit

This page includes information on:

What happens after you have submitted your application form

When we receive your completed application form you'll get an automated acknowledgement email. It will tell you which documents we need from you. For further information see our guidance for providing evidence for Housing Benefit.

Do check your junk and spam folders for the automated acknowledgement.

When and how you will receive a decision on your application

We aim to have a first look at your new claim form and issue a response within 10 working days.  If we need more information, we may not be able to assess your claim at this point.  If that is the case, we will write to you to tell you what we need.  We may also try to phone you to inform you of what is needed.

We aim to make a decision on your application within four weeks.

Once we have assessed your application we will send you a letter to let you know.

How to check the progress of your application

You can check the progress of your application via your MyHarrow Account, but first you will need to link your Housing Benefit claim to your account. To do this log into your MyHarrow Account and go to the Housing Benefits section. Please have your Housing Benefit reference number to hand. The next steps are explained on the page however full details are also available on the MyHarrow Account help page.

How to provide documents

We will email to inform you which documents you need to provide. The easiest and quickest way to submit the documents is via our evidence upload form.

You can also submit documents at Greenhill Library where staff are available to help if you need a hand using the self-scanners.

Greenhill Library

Perceval Square

College Road

Harrow

HA1 1GX

Using these channels will ensure your documents are quickly matched to your claim.

You will need to write your claim reference number (a 7-digit number) on any documents you provide. You can find this number on any notification letter we've written to you.

Further detail on how to provide documents can be found on our Providing documents for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support pages.

What to do if you don't understand your Housing Benefit letter

We have created a guide to help you to understand your Housing Benefit letter. It explains the different sections on the letter and the information we used to assess your application.

Your first payment

For general information on Housing Benefit payments see the Housing Benefit payments page.

What to do if you disagree with your entitlement

If you disagree with your entitlement you can submit a dispute. For information on how to submit a dispute see the Housing Benefit disputes and appeals page.

Viewing and managing your claim online

Manage your claim online via your MyHarrow Account.

You will need to link your Housing Benefit claim reference to your MyHarrow Account.

If you sign up for email notifications we will be able to notify you by email when your claim has been updated. 

If you submit a dispute or appeal we might not be able to inform you of an update to your claim via the email notification service. However you can still check the progress of your claim through MyHarrow Account. Just select the ‘correspondence’ tab in the account and you will be able to see if we have made a decision on your claim and sent you any correspondence.

Reviewing your Housing Benefit claim

We take steps to identify changes that haven’t been notified to us. If we are informed of changes that will reduce your entitlement to Housing Benefit, you will have to pay back the difference.