How is the overpayment recovered?

  • If you pay us rent, and your rent account is in credit, we may use this credit to pay back the overpayment.
  • If we are not now paying you Housing Benefit, we will send you a bill and you should make arrangements to pay us.  
  • If we paid your landlord your benefit, we may ask the landlord to repay the overpayment in certain circumstances.
  • We can ask the DWP to take money out of your social security benefits. In cases where you have moved out of the area, they can take money from any Housing Benefit paid to you by another council.
  • If we overpaid your Council Tax Benefit, we will add the amount of the overpayment to your Council Tax bill. We will collect the overpayment by increasing your monthly instalments.

We will not recover overpayments we have paid you for Housing Benefit from your Council Tax or overpayments for Council Tax from your Housing Benefit.

Page last updated on 29 November 2011