Housing Benefit is normally paid direct to a tenant. But landlords can receive the payments:
From April 2008 there is a new way of working out new claims for Housing benefit for tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord. This is called the Local Housing Allowance, please view the Local Housing Allowance section, available through the 'Related Links' section of this web page, for more information.
If the payments are made direct to the landlord, it is normally in the form of a cheque paid every four weeks. The landlord has to sign an agreement form and has to:
Landlords will be told how much benefit they’ll receive and the date when they’ll start to receive payments.
For further information please contact the Benefits team on telephone 01856873535 extension 2116.