•You must be entitled to help with your rent in universal credit (UC) or housing benefit (HB) to get discretionary housing payments (DHPs).

•DHPs are administered and paid by your local authority. They can be made if you need help to meet your housing costs – eg, because your UC or HB does not cover your full rent due to a restriction, or due to deductions for non-dependants, or you are affected by the benefit cap.

•DHPs can be made for lump-sum payments – eg, for rent in advance or a deposit for a new home, or if you have removal expenses.

•Payments are discretionary. They are paid from a cash-limited budget allocated to your local authority.

•In Scotland, the Scottish government has committed to fully fund DHPs to any eligible person affected by the ‘bedroom tax’ or benefit cap.

•You cannot appeal against a DHP decision, but you can ask the local authority for a review, complain, escalate a complaint to an ombudsman or seek judicial review.