Will I Need To Provide Proof?

When making a claim for housing or council tax benefit you will need to provide a number of documents to support the information you have given. Failure to provide all of the required information will result in your claim not being assessed.

You will need to provide proof of the following

• Identity, two documents each for both you and your partner
• National insurance numbers for both you and your partner
• Your rent. See more on calculating housing benefit and calculating council tax benefit
• Any welfare benefits received by yourself, partner and any other household member
• Any income, wages or payments received by yourself, partner and any other household member. See more on calculating housing benefit and calculating council tax benefit
• Any capital, savings or investments held by yourself, partner and any other household member. See more on calculating housing benefit and calculating council tax benefit
• Your right to claim public funds if you are not a UK citizen
• Any relevant medical condition or disability, eg blindness

For further details and examples, view the types of documents that should be provided (PDF 95kb). The application form will also indicate where proof should be provided. You will need, for instance, to provide a proof of earnings form (PDF 61kb). To view these documents, you will need Adobe Reader.

We must see original documents.  If you do not wish to send important documents through the post you can bring them to one of our offices or arrange an e-Benefit appointment. The officer will verify your documents, complete the form for you and assess your claim. Please telephone a member of staff on 020 7525 1880 if you would like to arrange an appointment.

If you cannot provide all of the documents straight away you should still make a claim and contact a member of staff to request an extension of time.

Contact us

By telephone

Housing and council tax benefit
Tel: 020 7525 1880


Council tax
Tel: 020 7525 1850

By post

Council Tax Section
London Borough Of Southwark
P.O. Box 782
Bromley
BR1 3YE

Please indicate which department your query is for.

In person

Bermondsey One Stop Shop
Spa Road
Bermondsey
SE16 3QN

Peckham One Stop Shop
Ground Floor
Peckham Library
122 Peckham Hill Street
SE15 5JR

Walworth One Stop Shop
151 Walworth Road
London
SE17 1RY

Dulwich Area Housing Office
41-43 East Dulwich Road
Dulwich
SE22 9BY

All one stop shops are open from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. In addition, Peckham one stop shop is open on Saturday, 9am to 1pm.

By email

Housing or council tax benefit: souhousingbenefitsuk@liberata.com
Council tax: soucounciltaxuk@Liberata.com