You can get help with your housing costs while you are in prison if
- you were getting universal credit when you were taken into custody, and
- you're going to be in custody for less than 6 months.
Getting help with rent in prison
Universal credit can keep paying your rent if
- you were already getting universal credit before going into prison, and
- you're going to be in custody for less than 6 months.
You'll only get help to cover your rent. The rest of your universal credit claim will stop.
You can't make a new claim for universal credit from prison. So, you won't get benefits to cover your rent if you were paying it without help before you went into prison.
Universal credit won't keep paying your rent if you're going to be in prison for more than 6 months. It doesn't matter if you are on remand or sentenced.
Help with rent for prisoners over pension age
You can claim housing benefit in prison if you're over pension age. You can get housing benefit if
- you're sentenced but will spend a total of 13 weeks or less in custody
- you're on remand and will spend a total of 52 weeks or less in custody.
You can't claim housing benefit if you are under pension age.
Keeping your home if you can't get help to pay your rent
Your landlord can evict you if you don't pay your rent.
You can ask a family member of friend to move into your home while you are in custody. They can pay the rent or mortgage until you are released. They may even be able to get benefits to help if they lived with you before you went into custody.
You need to let your landlord know if someone else is going to be moving into your home. Ask to speak to one of the housing advisers in your prison. They can help you talk to your landlord.
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