Temporary absence from home

Housing Benefit can still be paid in certain circumstances if you’re absent from your home on a temporary basis.

The main three conditions that have to be satisfied in order for you to receive Housing Benefit whilst absent are:

• That you intend to return home
• That the main dwelling has not been and will not be sub-let
• That the period of absence is unlikely to extend beyond the limits.

The rules are different for absences outside Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales).

The Temporary absence table may help you to identify the different  periods of absence that apply, but if you would like further information, then please contact us to discuss.