help with housing costs

help paying rent, bills or moving costs

living on your own can be expensive! here's how we can help with some common costs.

If you’re aged 16 - 19 and you can’t live with your parents or guardians, you might be able to get a weekly youth payment or young parent payment to help pay your rent, bills and living expenses. We may also be able to help you with the cost of housing in other ways, too.

Youth Payment

Young Parent Payment

rent, board or owning a home

if you need help to pay the costs of rent, board or owning a home, you might be able to get an accommodation supplement. You don't have to be on a benefit to get this payment.

If you live in public housing, you won't be able to get this payment.

Work and Income: accommodation supplement

issues paying rent

If you need to spend your rent money on other bills, like food or power, we might be able to help with these costs, so you can still pay your rent.

Work and Income: help with urgent or unexpected costs

We might also be able to help if you haven't been able to pay your rent and your landlord is now asking you to pay it.

If you're not on a benefit

You might be able to get a Recoverable Assistance Payment. You'll have to pay this back.

Work and Income: Recoverable Assistance Payment

If you can't get a Recoverable Assistance Payment, you may be able to get Rent Arrears Assistance. You’ll have to pay this back.

Work and Income: Rent Arrears Assistance

If you're on a benefit

You may be able to get an Advance Payment of Benefit. This means you get some of your benefit early- but you'll pay it back later.

Work and Income: Advance Payment of Benefit

If you can't get an Advance Payment of Benefit, you may be able to get Rent Arrears Assistance. You’ll pay this back later.

Work and Income: Rent Arrears Assistance

moving costs

Help to pay your bond and rent in advance

If you’re moving to a new place, we might be able to help you pay your bond and rent in advance.

Work and Income: bond and rent in advance

Moving house

You may be able to get a Moving Assistance Payment towards the cost of moving house.

Work and Income: Moving Assistance Payment

Moving out of public housing

If you’re ready to move out of public (social) housing into a private house, we could help cover some of the costs.

Work and Income: moving out of public housing

heating costs

We may be able to help you with the costs of:

  • an urgent power, gas, or water bill
  • bedding
  • blankets
  • curtains

Work and Income: help with power, gas, water bills or heating

Extra financial support for power costs if you have a disability

If you have extra power, gas or heating costs because of a disability or health condition, we may be able to help you pay this as part of a disability allowance.

Work and Income: power, gas and heating if you have a disability

making your home accessible

If you need to make changes to your home because you or your child has a disability, you might be able to get house modification funding.

Work and Income: House modification funding