We are keen to support our residents as much as possible during these unprecedented and difficult times.
Council tenancy support
If you are a council tenant and your finances are affected by coronavirus, please contact us at the earliest opportunity so we can work with you. We will be as flexible as possible dealing with any issues resulting from coronavirus.
Tenants may be able to get support to meet their rent and Council Tax through claiming:
- Housing Benefit or Universal Credit (Housing Element)
- Council Tax Reduction Scheme or
- Discretionary Housing Payment.
Renters in private or social accommodation do not need to worry about the threat of eviction after the Government announced that landlords will not be able to start eviction proceedings for at least a three-month period.
Homeowners are reminded that they can request up to a three-month mortgage payment holiday from your mortgage lender.
Landlords can also apply for a three-month payment holiday on Buy-To-Let mortgages, which will also ease the pressure on landlords and tenants.
Housing Benefit claims
Most working age people needing housing support are paid via Universal Credit now. This is not managed by us but by the Department for Work and Pensions. However, people who have reached the qualifying age for Pension Credit and some people in the district living in temporary or supported housing accommodation are still paid Housing Benefit and these claims continue to be managed by us.
A paper Housing Benefit form can be supplied upon request or one can be printed off from our website and completed. They can be posted to us or taken to the Civic Centre.
If we need any extra information to support the claim, we can receive that by post or by email at benefits@mansfield.gov.uk. Please remember to include your email address and telephone number on the form as this will help us to process claims more quickly if we need to ask for more information.
We are here to help and find solutions to any problems to allow claims to progress as quickly as possible.
Financial advice
Our Housing Department also has its own Financial Inclusion Officer who can advise and assist all Mansfield residents (not just council tenants) with claiming welfare, DWP and HMRC benefits. If you could benefit from this support, get in touch with Michelle Males on 07956 539743.