Housing Benefit Appeals

Once you’ve applied for Housing Benefit we will send you a letter telling you if your claim has been successful and how your benefit has been calculated.

If you think the decision is wrong, you can ask us for an explanation, ask us to take a second look, or appeal an independent tribunal.

If you need more information before deciding what to do, you can ask us for a written statement of reasons for the decision. You should normally write to us within a month of the date of our decision.

If we feel our decision cannot be changed we will get in touch with the Appeals Tribunal who will decide whether or not to uphold your case. The Appeals Tribunal Service will arrange for a hearing that will consider the evidence, the law and the circumstances of the case.

Appeals Tribunal

The Appeals Tribunal is independent from the Council. You can ask and answer questions at the hearing - or you can opt for a “paper hearing”, which you don’t need to attend.  More information on the Appeals Tribunal can be found in Related Sites on the left of this webpage.

Usually most disagreements can be sorted out by talking to us about the decision we’ve come to.

Further Information

For more information on the appeals process you can download a Housing Benefit Appeals - Information Leaflet, as well as an Appeals Form from the 'Related Downloads' section of this web page. 

You can also contact the Benefits Section by email for more information.