Resident Sign-Up Process

This is a practical step-by-step guide of all the things you will need to do to sign up a resident and the documents you will need. All documents referred to below are in the Partner Area.

Please never sign a Licence or Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) with a resident, or give the keys of the property to the new resident before the following is done:  

1. All the items in the first meeting (below) are completed
2. All the items in the second meeting (below), Housing Benefit Form, Licence Agreement Completion, etc.

First Meeting (Not the day they move in)

First Meeting is for your team to check eligibility:  

• Check they have the proofs listed below  
• Complete Support Plan (Needs & Goals) to prove they need support and are willing to receive support  
• Contact the referees provided and decide to offer a place in the house to the applicant.

Proofs for Applicant to bring to the meeting

• Proof of an NI Number
  • NI card or letter from public body showing the NI number
• Proof of Date of Birth  
  • One of following: Birth Certificate, Passport, Driver’s Licence, Marriage Cert, Medical Card, Divorce Cert
  • Some HB departments ask for Drivers Licence and a Birth Certificate
  • Always a good idea to pay for a new Birth Cert for them anyway if they don't have one  
• Proof of Recourse to Public funds  - one of the following
  • Check they are entitled for UK benefits is that you have logged into their UC login to prove that they are in receipt of a UK benefit.
    If not on UC you need to look for proof of other benefits such as the following:
  • Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA) – a full letter from the local Jobseeker’s department stating receipt and the amount of benefit. This will also show the resident’s NI Number which acts as proof in cases where they have no National Insurance Card.  
  • Income Support - same as for JSA above. Very few people are on this benefit.  
  • Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Employment and Support Allowance is money for people who have limited capability for work because of their sickness or disability but do not get Statutory Sick Pay. There are two types: income-related Employment and Support Allowance. Very few people are on this benefit.  
  • Child Allowance - allowance book or letter from the relevant department stating receipt and amount of benefit, if paid directly to the bank.
  • Tax Credit (child or working) – award documents sent by the Inland Revenue (all pages). Pension (work pension or pension credit) – a letter from the relevant pension department (either state or employer) stating receipt and amount. Wages - wage slips for at least the previous five weeks.)
• Bank Account Information
  • Not all applicants have a bank account
  • If they are successful please assist them ASAP to open a bank account. If they have a bank account they should show you 3 mths of statements to be requested from the bank. Machine statements are not acceptable. Please ensure that person notifies bank of any address change.
  • Take photocopies of all proofs for your resident file.  

Second Meeting (Actual Sign-Up)

• Administrator to bring all copies of items from first meeting (page 1 )  
• Complete HB Application Form (typically online) and double check entries  
• Add or upload all necessary proof docs from page 1 in the first meeting to HB App Form.  
• Do final additions and edits (specific needs & specific goals) to the  Support Plan (Needs & Goals) with applicant & both sign.  
• Complete the Letter of Authorisation found at 5f on the Partner Area. When your resident signs this, this ensures that your team can support the resident to manage any issues arising with their claim by contacting Housing Benefit on their behalf. Keeping a copy on file as well as submitting this with the HB claim means that if the resident fails to engage with support, or even on occasion after they have left, you’re still able to assist them in ensuring their Housing Benefit comes in. It is vital to get this document in place as it could be the difference to getting a HB claim through, or not!
• Complete Licence Agreement (2 or more households in the property) or Tenancy Agreement (exclusively housing one individual, household or unit i.e. individual, family or couple) this will be emailed to you by your PM in advance.  
  • Prepare 2 copies of the Agreement. Resident reads and signs. Partner signs.
  • 1 copy is for the resident and 1 copy for the partner.  
  • Upload a copy with the on-line Housing Benefit application..
  • Upload the Rent Sheet “For HB” Tab (signed off between your PM and you the landlord). Don’t forget to change the title of the document when you print to .pdf.
  • Ineligible charges to be collected from the residents on a fortnightly basis as a service charge.  
  • HB Tenancy/Licence start dates are generally on a Monday as HB pay from Monday to Sunday.
• Resident signs house inventory. This will avoid any disputes as to whether a window/lock/door etc… was already broken or not.
• Resident given a copy of Gas Safe Certificate, Electrical Periodic Certificate, Emergency lighting certification, Fire risk Assessment and Legionella risk assessment, and a copy of HM Government ‘How to Rent’ booklet (available, here) (NOTE: these documents are particularly important to issue along with an Assured Shorthold Tenancy agreement. Failure to do so will prevent you from serving a valid eviction notice in future).

Completing Housing Benefit form online

• Complete HB Application with your resident in person.
• HB Application form make sure to select ‘supported housing’ for their accommodation type.  
• With the resident take the following to Housing Benefit office  
  • HB application
  • Print Rent Sheet - the tab called ‘for HB’ - and upload as a supporting document.  
  • Proof of income, date of birth, NI and Bank account (if they have a bank account)
  • Letter of Authority from resident to HB
  • Licence/Tenancy Agreement  
    • Check with your PM your final version for signing, needs your PM sign off.  
    • ONLY SIGN this with the resident once you are sure of HB eligibility and have every proof doc in your hand to process the claim & prove that the person is elligible. Please do not sign up and hand over the keys until you are SURE of this.  
    • Upload a copy of the Licence Agreement to HB application.  
• Some HB dept do not allow in person submissions and so you have to complete the Housing Benefit On-line with your resident. On HB Application make sure they select ‘supported housing’ for their accommodation type.  

Going to the Housing Benefit appointment

After above GO straight away walk to the HB office with the person wanting to be housed.

Submit HB application with the resident to the HB office in person.  

• Complete HB Application with your resident.
• On HB Application make sure they select ‘supported housing’ for their accommodation type.  
• With the resident take the following to Housing Benefit office  
  • HB application
  • Print Rent Sheet: the tab called ‘for HB’ - this is the specific tab on your google drive rent sheet  
  • Proof of income, date of birth, NI and Bank account (if have)
  • Letter of Authority from resident to HB
  • Licence/Tenancy Agreement ONLY SIGN this with the resident at HB office once HB are satisfied they have everything to process the claim & that the person is eligible
  • Make sure they photocopy both and put in internal post to Housing Benefit.
• Some HB dept do not allow in person submissions and so you have to complete the Housing Benefit On-line with your resident. On HB Application make sure they select ‘supported housing’ for their accommodation type.  

Final jobs

• Retain a copy of the dated receipt from the HB office for future use.
• Ensure your Council Tax Office is aware of the change in residents.
• Keep a set of copies of all proof documents on your file in your office.  

Do Nots

• Never move a resident into a Green Pastures property before eligibility for Housing Benefit documents have been seen by you and before they've been fully signed up at Housing Benefit.
• Please do not sign any agreement (Licence or AST) with the applicant until you're 100% sure person is eligible for Housing Benefit. This means having a written letter from DWP, a bank, prison or such-like addressed to the applicant and which confirms he or she is a UK citizen and eligible for Housing Benefit.
• Please do not issue keys to the property to the resident until the HB application is submitted successfully to HB and acknowledged by HB. Email receipt notification if doing online or a printed receipt at the HB office if doing at the HB office in person.  

After second meeting

• Find out from HB how long it will take them to process the claim
• Find an email contact within HB so that you can chase up the application - email is better than phone as it is recorded.  
• Keep Contact Log updated daily or weekly. This is for recording all items of support as listed in the Needs Assessment and Support Plan.  
• Review Support Plan every 3 months with the resident and resign any changes to the support plan.

Universal Credit (UC)

If UC is in your area then:

• Making a New UC claim on-line. Make sure your resident ticks the box that says ‘NOT paying Rent’. Then use the dialogue boxes to indicate ‘supported housing’.
• If resident is already on UC then complete a ‘change of circumstances’ either:
  • With a phone call (UC Live system) or
  • On-line, through the residents journal.

• Change of circumstances is to supported housing, so that the ‘housing’ element of UC is removed and paid straight to you as landlord.
• We strongly recommend that you also complete a normal HB supported housing claim because HB and UC are not very good at talking to each other.
• If they are not yet on Universal Credit, this needs to be done in the usual way through an on-line Housing Benefit form. This will generate a reference number which your resident will take to the Housing Benefit Department, along with their Licence Agreement and a signed letter asking for their housing benefit to be paid direct to their landlord.
• If Universal Credit is in operation you need to find out if the resident falls under ‘full service’ or ‘live’ service. Search here for Jobcentre areas that deliver the Universal Credit full service.

If the resident needs to make a new UC claim

For a new claim, as you go through the claim with your resident, make sure they tick the box ‘NOT paying rent’. This will allow them to put their address as ‘supported housing accommodation’. This means the housing element should be separated and paid though the Housing Benefit system direct to you.

If the resident is already on UC

• Go to UC journal & notify a ‘change of circumstances’ into supported housing
  • This change of circumstance notification is only available with an on-line account (sometimes called a journal).  
• Then  make a HB application form
  • The licence agreement will need to be uploaded.
  • If this is an initial claim the licence agreement can be taken into their registration interview.

Universal Credit Live Service

Some residents may still be on the ‘live’ system, Universal Credit Live - which involves a telephone call to update any details or a visit Job Centre Plus. Call the Universal Credit service centre to report changes: Telephone: 0800 328 9344

Alternative Payment Arrangement.  

Usually, residents can now voluntarily request payment direct to their landlord. This is called an Alternative Payment Arrangement. They don’t need to be in rent arrears.

There may be an additional landlord form requesting reasons for Housing Benefit to be paid directly. This is in addition to the recognition by the Local Authority that your project is Exempt Accommodation. Latest Universal Credit Information Sheet:

Personal Budget and Alternative Payment Arrangements

Resident Sign-Up: Housing Benefit and Universal Credit in Exempt Accommodation

When you first sign up your resident - use this process to help them claim Housing Benefit under the rules for exempt accommodation - supported housing. they will not receive the housing element of universal credit - they should make a separate claim for housing benefit.

Resident Sign-Up: Housing Benefit and Universal Credit, not yet Exempt Accommodation

If exempt accommodation has not been recognised for some time and you need your residents  to apply for ‘normal’ local housing allowance rates of housing benefit - follow this process. they are applying for the housing element of universal credit to be paid straight to you, the landlord.

Alternative Payment Arrangements

If your project is not recognised as EA you will not be on the list at the HB Department so the Housing element will always be retained within UC unless you ask for a managed payment of Housing Cost Element.  

Some Local Authorities use an online form, some still use a Hard Copy Form. Click here to view an example from Gravesham Borough Council and the questions will be roughly the same.