What is an overpayment?

An overpayment is any amount of Housing Benefit that has been paid to you to which you were not entitled.

Will I have to repay an overpayment?

Most overpayments have to be repaid. We will not recover overpayments that occurred as a result of an error made by us, unless we consider that you could reasonably have known that you were being overpaid.

My Housing Benefit was paid to my landlord, so why should I have to repay an overpayment?

It is always your responsibility to notify us of any change in your circumstances. In some cases an overpayment may be recoverable from you, even though the payments of Housing Benefit were made to your landlord. For example, if you started work and failed to notify us promptly.

How will I know if I have been overpaid?

We will write and tell you the amount of the overpayment and the period to which it relates. We will also tell you what you can do if you disagree with the amount of the overpayment or the decision to recover it from you.

How will I repay the overpayment?

This depends on whether or not you continue to receive Housing Benefit. If you continue to receive Housing Benefit we can recover the overpayment by deductions from your ongoing benefit. The amount deducted will usually be a set amount every week. The amount deducted may be increased if the overpayment arose as a result of fraud.

If you ask us we will look again at the amount that is being deducted, although we cannot guarantee that the deduction will be reduced. We will, however, take your personal circumstances into account when making our decision.

If you are no longer receiving Housing Benefit then you should repay the full amount immediately, however if you are unable to do so you can make arrangements to repay by instalments.

If you fail to repay an overpayment then compulsory recovery action may be taken. This can be through the courts or by deduction from certain other benefits which you may be receiving.

You can now repay an overpayment online.

If deductions are made from my Housing Benefit will I go into arrears?

It is your responsibility to pay your rent. If your Housing Benefit is reduced because of a deduction being made to recover an overpayment then you will have to make up the difference to your landlord out of your own money.