Osprey Housing provide a free and confidential Welfare Rights service for all of our tenants. Some of the services we offer include:
- Challenging benefit decisions & providing appeal representation.
- Providing benefit checks / Income maximization checks.
- Completing benefit forms.
- Assisting tenants to make benefit claims.
- Referral to Food and Clothing banks for those in need
You can contact us on 01224 548000 and ask to speak to a Tenancy Support Officer or complete the following form Tenancy Support Form
Alternatively you could contact Citizen’s Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/benefits/
For further Information on Scotland’s Social Security benefits: https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/benefits
Some tenants may qualify for assistance to help pay rent. Advice on this can be sought from the Tenancy Support Officers. Alternatively, tenants can contact their Local Housing Benefit Office directly. Tenants in receipt of Housing Benefit must notify the Housing Benefit Office of any changes in circumstances, e.g. your employment status, admitted to hospital. Tenants in receipt of Universal Credit must notify DWP of any changes in circumstances that may affect your entitlements.
Housing Benefit Contact:
- Aberdeen City: 0845 6088747
- Aberdeenshire: 0845 6080149
- Moray: 01343 563456
Housing Element of Universal Credit:
Benefits calculators
Use an independent benefits calculator to find out:
- what benefits you could get
- how to claim
- how your benefits will be affected if you start work
These are free to use.
Calculators
Use one of the following:
- entitledto - for information on income-related benefits, tax credits, contribution-based benefits, Council Tax Reduction, Carer’s Allowance, Universal Credit and how your benefits will be affected if you start work
- Turn2us - for information on income-related benefits, tax credits, Council Tax Reduction, Carer’s Allowance, Universal Credit and how your benefits will be affected if you start work or change your working hours
- Policy in Practice - for information on income-related benefits, tax credits, contribution-based benefits, Council Tax Reduction, Carer’s Allowance, Universal Credit, how these are calculated and how your benefits will be affected if you start work or change your working hours
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is a payment to help with your living costs including rent. It’s paid monthly - or twice a month for some people in Scotland.
You may be able to get it if you’re on a low income, out of work or you cannot work.
Apply for Universal Credit online
Alternatively you can contact Citizen’s Advice Scotland for help to claim Universal Credit here: https://www.cas.org.uk/helptoclaim
Listed below are the benefits that are currently delivered and how to find out more about eligibility.
To find out more about these benefits or to apply for them, please visit mygov.scot/benefits
People can find out about all the help that may be available to them on mygov.scot.
If you would like to find out more or apply for one of these benefits over the phone, you can do this by calling 0800 182 2222.
- Best Start Grant Pregnancy and Baby Payment – one off payment of up to £606 from 24 weeks in pregnancy up until a baby turns 6 months for families who get certain benefits.
- Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment – one off payment of £252.50 when a child is between two and three years and six months for families who get certain benefits.
- Best Start Grant School Age Payment – one off payment of £252.50 when a child would normally start primary one for families who get certain benefits.
- Best Start Foods – a pre-paid card from pregnancy up to when a child turns three for families on certain benefits to help buy healthy food.
- Carer’s Allowance Supplement – an automatic payment made twice a year to people who get Carer’s Allowance through the DWP on certain dates each year.
- Funeral Support Payment – money towards the costs of a funeral at a difficult time like this for people on certain benefits who are responsible for paying for a funeral.
- Job Start Payment – £252.50 for 16 to 24 year olds who have been on certain benefits for six months or more to help with the costs of starting a job.
- Young Carer Grant – an annual payment of more than £308.15 for people 16, 17 or 18 who care for people who get a disability benefit from the DWP for an average of 16 hours a week or more.
- Child Winter Heating Assistance - a new £202 payment to help families of a child on the highest rate care component of Disability Living Allowance for Children to heat their homes. Payments will begin on Friday 27 November and these are expected to be complete by Friday 11 December.
- Scottish Child Payment - a new, unique to Scotland, benefit that will give qualifying parents and carers £40 every four weeks to help towards the costs of looking after each child under 6. It is planned to be fully rolled out to children under the age of 16 by the end of 2022.
