A CRF Housing Payment is a discretionary payment that can provide short-term help with housing costs, such as rent, where you need extra financial support.

CRF Housing Payments are not part of the normal Housing Benefit scheme. They are funded by UK government each year and the amount of money available is limited. This means we can only award help where there are special circumstances that make it difficult for you to pay your rent.

You can apply if you are entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. Please wait until you know you are entitled to one of these benefits before applying.

You cannot claim a CRF Housing Payment for rent if you only receive Council Tax Reduction. However, you may be able to apply for a  Discretionary Council Tax Reduction.

We can consider a CRF Housing Payment if there is a shortfall between your rent and the amount you receive through Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.

Examples of when we may be able to help include:

• If your rent is higher than the amount covered by Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
• If your benefit has been reduced because your income is above the level for a means-tested benefit, such as Income Support.
• If your benefit has been reduced because a non-dependant lives in your home and they cannot help you with the shortfall.

A CRF Housing Payment cannot be awarded for:

• service charges that are not covered by Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, such as fuel charges
• water or sewerage charges
• deductions in benefit due to sanctions
• deductions made because of an overpayment of Housing Benefit.

If moving home is essential, we may be able to consider a CRF Housing Payment to help with some housing-related costs. This could apply if you need to move to reduce your outgoings, take up a definite offer of employment, or because you are at risk of becoming homeless.

• a deposit
• a contribution towards other essential moving costs, such as removal costs.

When we consider whether we can help with a move, we will look at whether the accommodation is suitable. This includes the size, location, reason for moving and cost of the property.

We are unlikely to award a CRF Housing Payment if:

• you want to move from a housing association property to private rented accommodation, unless there is a good reason to move
• your current property meets your needs and you want to move to a more expensive property
• the only reason you want to move is to be closer to a particular school
• the property you want to move to is bigger than you need or is more expensive than other suitable properties with the same number of bedrooms
• you are able to pay for the move yourself
• you have already received help with moving costs within the last 12 months.

If we award a payment for a deposit, we will not usually award another CRF Housing Payment for a deposit unless there are exceptional circumstances.

We need to decide whether you can meet the cost of moving, or any shortfall between your rent and benefit, from your income, savings or capital.

When considering your application, we may look at:

• your income, including earnings, benefits, pensions and maintenance
• any savings or capital you have that could cover the shortfall for a period or help towards moving costs
• any disregarded income, such as Child Benefit
• any contribution made by a non-dependant
• your essential outgoings, such as loan repayments, travel to work, childcare costs, hire purchase for essential items, or extra disability-related costs
• whether you could reduce your outgoings
• whether you could move to more affordable accommodation
• how long it may take you to find suitable alternative accommodation
• whether you are at risk of eviction
• any mental health issues that have affected your ability to manage your finances.

This is guidance only. We consider every application on its own merits and may take other relevant factors into account.

CRF Housing Payments are usually awarded for a set period. The length of the award will depend on your circumstances. We will consider how long we think it may take you to find a longer-term solution. For example, if your rent is too high, we may make a payment while you look for more affordable accommodation.

If you apply and do not agree with our decision, you can ask us to look at it again. CRF Housing Payments cannot be appealed in the same way as Housing Benefit decisions.

To make the process fair, we use the following internal procedure:

Level one reconsideration: You, or your representative, can ask for an explanation of the decision at any time. You can also ask for the original decision to be looked at again if you have extra information that may change the decision, or if you think information you already provided has been overlooked or misunderstood. This will normally be considered by the original decision maker.

Level two review: If you, or your representative, believe the decision maker has not correctly applied the Discretionary Financial Assistance Policy, you can ask for your concerns to be reviewed by a more senior officer. The senior officer will look at the reasons for the decision, whether the policy has been applied correctly, and whether any changes should be made.

You will need to complete our online DHP application form.

You will need to provide your last 2 months’ bank statements for all accounts. We may also ask for evidence of any additional expenses, such as loan repayments. If we need more information, we may contact you by phone.

You can read the Discretionary Financial Assistance Policy for more information.