ESA Evidence Private Landlord.

Halim

Hi all, 

When applying for ESA, what evidence do I need to send to support my claim in relation to rent etc. 
I rent from a private landlord and have a tenancy agreement. Would I need to send my tenancy agreement? If yes, do I also need to send my bank statement with evidence of rent going out?

Also, is my landlord contacted? If yes, do they provide the evidence if needed? Meaning I don't send anything. 

Thanks in advance. 

poppy123456

Hi,

You need to check what's in your area first. If it's a full universal credit area then you won't be able to claim housing benefit, it will have to be Universal Credit. Check here. http://ucpostcode.entitledto.co.uk/ucdate If it's UC then claims take at least 6 weeks for your first payment. How much you get will depend on circumstances.

For either one, you'll need you tenancy agreement. I don't know if they contact your landlord but if you're planning on claiming either of these then you will need to tell your landlord. Some mortgage lenders won't allow a person claiming benefits to rent the property.

wilko

Send in a copy of your rent and tenancy agreement but to be safe phone and ask if this is all that is neede and are copies ok and is there any other evidence neede.

Halim

Thanks Poppy & Wilko. That's really helpful. I imagine my best bet is to call DWP and ask them what I need to send. I'm trying to get a little folder together with all my paperwork this evening so it's all in one place and easier when I make a claim. 
And thank you re advice about contacting landlord to tell them about a claim- I didn't realise I needed to do this. 

poppy123456

If it's housing benefit you need to claim then you claim this from your local council and not DWP. ESA of course is DWP. Good luck.

Halim

Thanks Poppy. I'm only doing the ESA currently, but then HB seems to be the next difficulty to navigate. Initially when I looked at the ESA1 form, I thought a HB claim was automatically applied/initiated as it does ask question about it. Thanks for your advice. 

poppy123456

It does ask yes but it's not automatically done. You have to ring your local council for a form.