Charges for some services, such as a lifts, communal laundry facilities or play areas.
Even if it's included in your rent, you won't get any housing benefit for:
Water charges.
Charges for heating, hot water, lighting, or cooking.
Payments for food or fuel in board and lodgings or hostels.
The amount of housing benefit you may get also depends on:
1. Your personal and financial circumstances
Your local council will look at:
Money you and your partner or civil partner have coming in, including earnings, some benefits and tax credits, and occupational pensions.
Your savings (and your partner's or civil partner's savings).
Your circumstances: such as your age, the size of your family and their ages, whether you or any of your family are disabled, and whether anyone who lives with you could help with the rent.
2. The particulars of your home and the rent you pay
Your council will also look at whether:
The amount of rent is reasonable for your particular home.
Your home is a reasonable size for you and your family.
The amount of rent is reasonable for the area where you live.
Your 'eligible' rent may be limited to an amount that's reasonable for a suitably sized property in the area you live.
