document_title: Liverpool F.C. in European football

question_text: when was the last time liverpool were in champions league

text: Liverpool F.C. in European football

text: Background[edit]

text: Club competitions between teams from different European countries can trace their origins as far back as 1897, when the Challenge Cup was created for clubs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, who did not meet under normal circumstances. The Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, named after entrepreneur and sportsman Thomas Lipton, was established in 1909 and was contested between clubs from Italy, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland; the competition lasted for two years.[1] The earliest attempt to create a cup for national champion clubs of Europe was made by Swiss club FC Servette. Founded in 1930, the Coupe des Nations featured clubs of ten major European football leagues and was deemed a success. Due to financial reasons, the competition was abandoned.[2]

text: The first continental competition organised by UEFA was the European Cup in 1955. Conceived by Gabriel Hanot, the editor of L'Équipe, as a competition for winners of the European national football leagues, it is considered the most prestigious European football competition.[3][4] When the European Cup was first played, Liverpool were in the Second Division, following relegation from the First Division after the 1953–54 season, and thus were ineligible for the competition.[5] During their time in the Second Division, two further competitions were created: the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Established in 1955, the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was later re-branded as the UEFA Cup when it came under the auspices of UEFA in 1971.[6] Since the 2009–10 season, the competition has been known as the UEFA Europa League.[7] The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was inaugurated in 1960 for the winners of domestic cup competitions.[6]

text: In 1962 Liverpool were promoted to the First Division. Two years later, they won the Football League championship, thus making their European debut in the 1964–65 European Cup. In the following years, further European competitions were inaugurated. The first, the UEFA Super Cup, was originally a match played between the winners of the European Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup. First established in 1973, it changed formats in 2000; since then, it has been contested between the winners of the Champions League (formerly the European Cup) and the Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup), following the Cup Winners' Cup amalgamation into the latter.[8] The Intercontinental Cup was a competition for the winners of the European Cup (later, the UEFA Champions League) and the South American equivalent, the Copa Libertadores. Established in 1960, the Intercontinental Cup was jointly organised by UEFA and the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL). It ran until 2004, when the FIFA Club World Cup, which includes the winners of all six confederations' regional championships replaced it.[9]

text: History[edit]

text: First steps in Europe – the Shankly years (1965–74)[edit]

text: Bill Shankly began managing Liverpool in 1959, and it was under him that the team first competed in European competition in 1964–65, qualifying for the European Cup by winning the First Division championship the previous season.[10] The club's first opponents were Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur of Iceland, who they played in the preliminary round. Liverpool won 11–1 on aggregate. The next round, against Belgian club Anderlecht, was the first time in Liverpool's history that they wore their now common all-red strip. The decision was made to change from red shirts, white shorts and socks by Shankly, who wanted his players to make more of a psychological impact on opponents.[11] They beat Anderlecht and progressed to the semi-finals, where they met Italian team Internazionale. Before the first leg at Anfield, Shankly asked two injured players to parade the FA Cup, which Liverpool had won the previous week, to intimidate the Italians.[12] The team won the match 3–1,[13] but Inter won the second leg 3–0, securing a 4–3 aggregate victory. The second leg was controversial; Shankly described it as "a war".[14] He felt that the referee, Jose Maria Ortiz de Mendibel, had shown bias towards Internazionale,[15] and the Liverpool players felt cheated by his decisions.[14] The club's 1964–65 FA Cup victory ensured qualification for the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup the following season, and in that competition, they reached their first European final. Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool's opponents, employed counter-attacking tactics that had paid dividends in previous rounds and did so again, with the West Germans beating Liverpool 2–1 after extra time.[16]

text: In the next four seasons, they competed in the European Cup and Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, but failed to progress past the third round in either competition.[17] A tie against Dutch team Ajax during the 1966–67 European Cup was to prove pivotal in the history of Liverpool in European competition.[18] Ajax beat Liverpool 7–3 on aggregate. However, the style of football that Ajax played – a patient passing game, inspired by Johann Cruyff – convinced Shankly that Liverpool had to replicate this style to be successful in Europe.[19] Liverpool reached the semi-finals of the 1970–71 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, losing 1–0 on aggregate to Leeds United.[20] They competed in the 1971–72 European Cup Winners' Cup, despite losing the 1971 FA Cup Final, as the FA Cup winners, Arsenal, had also qualified for the European Cup by winning the league championship. Liverpool were eliminated in the second round by Bayern Munich of Germany, losing 3–1 on aggregate.[21]

text: The changes made to Liverpool's tactics came to fruition during the 1972–73 UEFA Cup. The club reached their second European final, where they faced Borussia Mönchengladbach of Germany. Liverpool won the first leg 3–0 as a result of two goals from Kevin Keegan and one from Larry Lloyd. Victory in this first leg meant Liverpool only needed to avoid losing by three or more goals in order to win the final. This influenced their tactics – The Times reported that Liverpool employed a "holding action" against the "attacking Germans".[22] The tactics worked, allowing Mönchengladbach only two goals, granting Liverpool a 3–2 aggregate victory.[23] Liverpool also won the First Division championship that season, and as a result qualified for the 1973–74 European Cup, where they were eliminated in the second round by Red Star Belgrade of Yugoslavia. At the end of that season, Shankly retired.[24]

text: European domination – the Paisley years (1974–83)[edit]

text: Shankly was succeeded by his assistant, Bob Paisley, in 1974.[25] Liverpool competed in the Cup Winners' Cup during Paisley's first season and defeated Strømsgodset of Norway 11–0 at Anfield. This remains the club's largest margin of victory in all matches.[26] They lost in the next round to Hungarian side Ferencváros on the away goals rule. In 1975–76 the club entered the UEFA Cup after a second-place finish in the First Division. Victories over Hibernian (Scotland), Real Sociedad (Spain), Śląsk Wrocław (Poland), Dynamo Dresden (East Germany) and Barcelona (Spain) took Liverpool to their third European final. Crucial to their progress was goalkeeper Ray Clemence, who made two important penalty saves against Hibernian and Dresden, saving Liverpool from elimination on the away goals rule on both occasions.[27] Their opponents in the final were Club Brugge of Belgium. Liverpool recovered from a two-goal deficit to win the first leg at Anfield 3–2, with Ray Kennedy, Jimmy Case, and Keegan scoring a goal each in a span of six minutes. A 1–1 draw at the Jan Breydel Stadion in Bruges meant Liverpool won 4–3 on aggregate, earning their second UEFA Cup.[28]

text: As the 1975–76 league champions, the club entered the 1976–77 European Cup. They defeated Crusaders of Northern Ireland and Trabzonspor of Turkey to reach the quarter-finals, where they faced the runners-up from the previous season, Saint-Étienne. The French team won the first leg 1–0. The second leg at Anfield began well for Liverpool when Keegan scored in the first two minutes. Saint-Étienne equalised to make the score 2–1 on aggregate in their favour. Kennedy scored for Liverpool, but the away goals rule meant they still needed another goal to win the tie. With six minutes remaining, David Fairclough was brought on to replace John Toshack; he immediately scored in front of the Kop, ensuring a 3–2 aggregate victory for Liverpool.[29] In the semi-finals, they defeated FC Zürich of Switzerland 6–1 on aggregate to reach the final, where they met their opponents from the 1973 UEFA Cup Final, Borussia Mönchengladbach. The final was held in Rome, four days after the club had lost the 1977 FA Cup Final to Manchester United. Before the match, Paisley announced that striker Toshack would be fit to start. However, he was not named in the matchday squad. This change upset the Germans' game plan and allowed Keegan to torment his marker, Berti Vogts.[30] Liverpool won 3–1 to become European champions for the first time.[31]

text: By winning the European Cup, they qualified for the European Super Cup and played the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup, German team Hamburg, who had just signed Keegan.[32] Liverpool won the tie 7–1 on aggregate.[33] Liverpool entered the 1977–78 European Cup as champions and received a bye in the first round. They defeated Dynamo Dresden and Portuguese team Benfica in the second round and quarter-finals, respectively. In the semi-final, the club again met Borussia Mönchengladbach, who won the first leg 2–1. Liverpool won the second leg 3–0, progressing to a second successive European Cup final, this time against Club Brugge at Wembley Stadium in London. In the final Kenny Dalglish, who had been signed to replace Keegan, scored the winning goal after receiving the ball from a Graeme Souness pass. The 1–0 victory meant Liverpool became the first British team to retain the European Cup.[34] They faced Anderlecht in the 1978 European Super Cup, but failed to retain the trophy, losing 4–3 on aggregate against the Belgian side.[35] Liverpool were eliminated in the first round of the 1978–79 European Cup by English champions Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest won the tie 2–0 on aggregate, and went on to win the competition.[36] Liverpool entered the 1979–80 European Cup as English champions but were again eliminated in the first round, this time beaten 4–2 on aggregate by Dinamo Tbilisi of the Soviet Union.[37]

text: Liverpool participated in the 1980–81 European Cup as English league champions, defeating Finnish champions Oulun Palloseura, Scottish club Aberdeen and CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria to qualify for the semi-finals, where they faced three-time champions Bayern Munich. The first leg at Anfield finished goalless. In the second leg at the Olympiastadion in Munich, Ray Kennedy scored in the 83rd minute and, although the German side equalised, Liverpool went through to the final on the away goals rule.[38] They faced Spanish side Real Madrid in the final, held at the Parc des Princes in Paris. Alan Kennedy scored the only goal to give Liverpool a 1–0 victory, which secured the club's—and Paisley's—third European Cup. As champions of Europe, Liverpool competed in the Intercontinental Cup against South American champions Flamengo of Brazil. Liverpool lost the match 3–0.[39] The club's defence of the European Cup in 1981–82 was ended by CSKA Sofia in the quarter-finals.[40] Another quarter-final exit occurred in the 1982–83 European Cup when Polish club Widzew Łódź eliminated Liverpool 4–3 on aggregate.[41] Paisley retired as manager at the end of the season and was succeeded by his assistant, Joe Fagan.[42]

text: Triumph and tragedy – the Fagan years (1983–85)[edit]

text: Liverpool entered the 1983–84 European Cup as league champions for the fourth time in five seasons. Victories over Odense of Denmark and Spanish champions Athletic Bilbao brought Liverpool to face Portuguese champions Benfica in the quarter-finals.[43] Liverpool won the first leg at Anfield 1–0. In the second leg, their tactic of withdrawing Dalglish into midfield put Benfica's game plan into disarray,[44] leading to a 4–1 match victory and a 5–1 aggregate victory. Their opponents in the semi-finals were Dinamo București of Romania. The tie proved a brutal encounter, characterised by Souness breaking the jaw of the Bucharest captain Lică Movilă, and was won 3–1 on aggregate by Liverpool.[44]

text: Fagan's first season in charge of Liverpool had been a successful one. When they reached their fourth European Cup final, they had already won the Football League Cup and the league championship;[45] victory in the European final against Italian side Roma would complete an unprecedented treble. The final was played at Rome's Stadio Olimpico, and Liverpool went ahead in the 13th minute when Phil Neal scored, though Roma equalised towards the end of the first half. The score remained the same throughout full and extra time; Liverpool won the subsequent penalty shoot-out, with Alan Kennedy scoring the winning penalty after goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar had put off Francesco Graziani, causing him to place his penalty over the crossbar.[46] After the game, gangs of Roma fans assaulted Liverpool supporters travelling back to their hotels.[47] Success in the European Cup entitled Liverpool to compete in the 1984 Intercontinental Cup. However, they were unable to beat the winners of the Copa Libertadores, Independiente of Argentina, who claimed a 1–0 victory.[48]

text: Liverpool entered the 1984–85 European Cup as champions, and once again progressed to the final, where their opponents were Juventus of Italy. They aimed to win their fifth European Cup and keep the trophy. The 1985 European Cup Final was held at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. The choice of venue had been criticised due to the dilapidated state of the stadium, and the club tried to persuade UEFA to change the venue.[49] Before the kick-off, Liverpool fans breached a fence separating the two groups of supporters and charged the Juventus fans. The resulting weight of people caused a retaining wall to collapse, killing 39 people and injuring hundreds more.[50] Despite calls for an abandonment, the match was played, as it was felt that further trouble would be caused otherwise.[51]

text: Juventus won the match 1–0; Michel Platini scored from the penalty spot to give Juventus their first European Cup.[52] UEFA laid the blame for the incident solely on the Liverpool fans: the official UEFA observer stated, "Only the English fans were responsible. Of that there is no doubt".[53] Three days after the final, UEFA banned all English clubs from European competition for an indefinite period. Liverpool were initially given an additional three-year ban.[52] Fagan retired after the 1984–85 season and was succeeded by Dalglish, who took over as player-manager.[54]

text: The ban on English clubs in European competitions ultimately lasted for five years, and even when the ban was lifted in 1990, Liverpool were not re-admitted; they had to serve an extra year. The ban prevented them qualifying for the European Cup in 1986 (as league champions and FA Cup winners), the UEFA Cup in 1987 (as league runners-up), the European Cup in 1988 (as league champions), the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1989 (as FA Cup winners) and the European Cup in 1990 (as league champions).[55]

text: Return to Europe (1991–2004)[edit]

text: Liverpool were allowed to return to European competition in the 1991–92 season, a year later than other English clubs. They qualified for the UEFA Cup as runners-up in the English league. Their manager by this stage was Graeme Souness, who had taken over towards the end of the previous season following Dalglish's resignation.[56]

text: Their first match, in the UEFA Cup, was against Finnish side Kuusyi Lahti, which they won 6–1.[57] A 6–2 aggregate victory set up a tie against Auxerre of France in the second round who they beat 3–2 on aggregate.[58] The club defeated Swarovski Tirol of Austria in the third round 6–0 on aggregate before losing to Genoa (Italy) 4–1 over two legs in the quarter finals.[59]

text: Liverpool's victory over Sunderland in the 1992 FA Cup Final qualified them for the 1992–93 European Cup Winners' Cup, but this campaign was short-lived, as they were eliminated in the second round by Russian side Spartak Moscow.[60] Liverpool finished no higher than sixth in the Premier League during the next two seasons, thus failing to qualify for European competition. In the 1995–96 season, they entered the UEFA Cup, but again progressed no further than the second round, this time losing to Brøndby of Denmark.[61]

text: As runners-up to League champions Manchester United in the 1996 FA Cup Final, Liverpool were able to compete in the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. This proved the club's most successful campaign since their return to European competition, as they reached the semi-finals, where they were eliminated 3–2 on aggregate by Paris Saint–Germain.[62] In the next two seasons, Liverpool played in the UEFA Cup but were eliminated at an early stage of the competition, by Strasbourg and Celta de Vigo, respectively.[63][64] A seventh-place finish in the 1998–99 FA Premier League meant the club did not qualify for Europe in 1999–2000.[65]

text: Having finished fourth in the 1999–2000 FA Premier League, Liverpool qualified for the 2000–01 UEFA Cup. Their victory in this competition marked a third win for a club. The entire season was the club's most successful since the 1983–84 season, as they won a cup treble consisting of the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup and the League Cup. Their opponents in the final in Dortmund were Alavés of Spain. The match was tied at 4–4 in extra time when Alavés defender Delfí Geli scored an own goal to give Liverpool victory on the golden goal rule.[66] The performance of Gary McAllister, whose free-kick resulted in the winning goal, was praised as "outstanding" by Trevor Brooking.[67] This was the club's first European trophy since their European Cup victory in 1984.[68] As UEFA Cup winners, Liverpool played in the 2001 UEFA Super Cup against Champions League winners Bayern Munich and won 3–2.[69]

text: In the 2001–02 season, Liverpool returned to the European Cup, now called the UEFA Champions League, for the first time since the Heysel disaster. A 2–0 victory over Roma in the second group stage meant they progressed to the quarter-finals.[70] They faced German club Bayer Leverkusen and won the first leg 1–0. The outlook for the second leg appeared to be to Liverpool's advantage, as their counter-attacking style of play had served them well during away matches throughout the season;[71] however, they lost the second leg 4–2 and were eliminated 4–3 on aggregate.[72]

text: A second-place finish in the 2001–02 FA Premier League entitled Liverpool to participate in the Champions League for a second successive season, but they only finished third in their group and were eliminated from the competition.[73] The third-place finish meant they entered the 2002–03 UEFA Cup. Liverpool beat Dutch team Vitesse Arnhem and Auxerre to set up an all-British tie with Scottish team Celtic. A 1–1 draw in the first leg meant Liverpool would progress to the semi-finals if they did not concede a goal in the second leg at Anfield. However, Celtic scored before half-time and again in the second half to win 3–1 on aggregate.[74]

text: Liverpool entered the UEFA Cup for the 2003–04 season, after Chelsea beat them on the final day of the previous league season to claim the fourth place needed to qualify for the Champions League.[75] Liverpool were eliminated in the fourth round by eventual runners-up Marseille of France. At the end of the season, manager Gérard Houllier was replaced by Rafael Benítez.[76]

text: Renewed European success – the Benítez years (2004–10)[edit]

text: Liverpool had finished fourth in the 2003–04 season, which qualified them to compete in the Champions League in the 2004–05 season. A poor start in the group stages, with two losses in their first five games, had the club facing elimination. A 3–1 victory over Greek side Olympiacos, however, eventually ensured their passage to the knock-out rounds. Liverpool beat Bayer Leverkusen and Juventus to reach the semi-finals, and progressed to the final after they beat Chelsea 1–0 on aggregate; the goal scored by Luis García was referred to as a "ghost goal" by Chelsea manager José Mourinho, as it was unclear whether the ball crossed the goal line.[77] Liverpool's performances in Europe contrasted strongly with their league form, where they struggled to finish in the top-four and thus ensure qualification for the next Champions League season.[78]

text: Liverpool faced six-time European champions Milan in the final at the Atatürk Stadium in Istanbul on 25 May 2005. Trailing 3–0 at half-time, they scored three goals in a six-minute spell in the second half to level the score at 3–3. There were no goals during extra time, so the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. With the shoot-out score at 3–2, Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek saved Andriy Shevchenko's penalty to give Liverpool victory.[79] The nature of Liverpool's comeback victory has led to the match being referred to as the "miracle of Istanbul."[80] As this was the club's fifth European Cup victory, Liverpool were allowed to keep the European Champion Clubs' Cup permanently, and a new trophy was commissioned for the following year's competition.[81] The victory also entitled Liverpool to compete in the 2005 UEFA Super Cup at Stade Louis II, Monaco in August. They defeated UEFA Cup winners CSKA Moscow of Russia 3–1(aet.) to win their third Super Cup.[82] Their success in the Champions League meant Liverpool also qualified for the 2005 FIFA Club World Championship, where they lost 1–0 in the final to Brazilian team São Paulo.[83]

text: A fifth-place finish in the Premier League in 2004–05 meant Liverpool were not guaranteed entry into the Champions League, and faced the prospect of not being able to defend their European title. UEFA eventually ruled that they would be allowed to do so, but would be required to start in the first qualifying round, with no country protection, meaning they could face a team from England in the group stages.[84] This turned out to be the case—Liverpool advanced through three qualifying rounds and were drawn with Chelsea in the group stages. They progressed from their group as winners but were beaten by Benfica in the first knock-out round.[85]

text: In the 2006–07 Champions League, Liverpool progressed from the group stages and beat holders Barcelona, PSV and Chelsea to face Milan in a rematch of the 2005 final.[86] The Liverpool team, which contained only five players from the 2005 final, enjoyed more possession than in 2005,[87] but two goals from Filippo Inzaghi gave Milan their seventh European Cup in a 2–1 win.[88]

text: Liverpool were eliminated from the 2007–08 Champions League in the semi-finals by Chelsea, who they had beaten in the semi-finals in 2005 and 2007. A fourth-place finish in the 2007–08 Premier League secured their entry into the 2008–09 Champions League. Liverpool reached the quarter-finals and again faced Chelsea, but lost 7–5 on aggregate.[89]

text: A second-place finish in the 2008–09 Premier League entitled Liverpool to compete in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League, but their campaign was short-lived; they finished third in their group, and were eliminated from the competition. They entered the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League, progressing to the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Atlético Madrid of Spain on the away goals rule after the tie finished 2–2 on aggregate.[90]

text: Decline and Resurgence (2010–present)[edit]

text: Rafael Benítez left the club at the end of the 2009–10 season and was replaced by Roy Hodgson.[91] A seventh-place finish in the 2009–10 Premier League meant Liverpool would be competing in the 2010–11 Europa League. They beat Rabotnički of Macedonia and Trabzonspor of Turkey to progress to the group stage, where Liverpool were drawn alongside Napoli, FC Utrecht and Steaua București. They won two games and drew four to finish top of their group with ten points and progress to the round of 32.[92] They were drawn against Sparta Prague in the next round. Before the tie was played, however, Hodgson was replaced by former manager Kenny Dalglish, who initially served as a caretaker manager.[93] A 1–0 aggregate victory ensured progression to the round of 16, in which Liverpool lost 1–0 on aggregate to eventual runners-up Braga.[94] A sixth-place finish in the 2010–11 Premier League meant the club failed to qualify for European competition for the first time since 1999.[95] On the following season, victory in the League Cup final ensured Liverpool a place in the 2012–13 Europa League.[96]

text: Liverpool qualified for the knockout phase of the 2012–13 Europa League after winning their group at the group stage, but were eliminated from the competition at the round of 32 by Zenit Saint Petersburg on the away goals rule after a 0–2 loss away and a 3–1 win at home.[97] A seventh-place finish in the 2012–13 Premier League and a failure to secure qualification via domestic cups meant Liverpool failed to qualify for any European competition in the 2013–14 season. A second-placed finish in the 2013–14 Premier League, ensured Liverpool qualified for the group stage of the 2014–15 Champions League.[98] One win out of six in the group stage meant they were eliminated and entered into the knockout phase of the 2014–15 Europa League.[99] The campaign was short-lived, as Liverpool eliminated by Beşiktaş in the round of 32.[100]

text: Finishing sixth in the 2014–15 Premier League qualified Liverpool directly to the group stage of the 2015–16 Europa League, where they faced Sion, Bordeaux and for the first time, Russian side Rubin Kazan.[101] During the group stage, manager Brendan Rodgers was replaced by Jürgen Klopp.[102] After winning the group, Liverpool qualified for the knockout phase, beating FC Augsburg in the round of 32 before facing bitter rivals Manchester United in the round of 16, the two clubs' first meeting in Europe.[103][104] Liverpool defeated them 3–1 on aggregate and victory led to a quarter-final tie with Klopp's former team Borussia Dortmund.[105][106] After a 1–1 draw in the first leg at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund went 3–1 up in the return leg at Anfield with 33 minutes remaining, requiring Liverpool to score three goals due to the Away goals rule. Goals from Philippe Coutinho, Mamadou Sakho and a last minute winner from Dejan Lovren, however, saw Liverpool complete the comeback and qualify for their first European semi-final since 2010.[107] There they faced Villarreal, completing a second comeback after overturning a 1–0 defeat in the first leg at El Madrigal to qualify for the final with a 3–1 aggregate win.[108][109] Liverpool played Sevilla in the final at St. Jakob-Park, Basel, on 18 May, losing 3–1. A 4th-place finish in the 2016–17 Premier League qualified Liverpool for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League and a return to Europe's premier club tournament for only the second time in 8 years during the 2010s. On 17 October 2017, Liverpool won 7-0 away to Maribor in the third round of matches of the group stage of the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League. The win was a record away win for Liverpool in European competitions and also the biggest away win by an English team in the history of the European Cup.[110][111] After qualifying top of their group, they proceeded to defeat Porto 5-0 at the Estadio de Dragao, before holding them to a 0-0 draw on the return leg, then defeated domestic rivals Manchester City 3-0 and 2-1, and in the semi-finals, defeated Roma 5-2 at Anfield, before a 4-2 loss led to a 7-6 aggregate win, taking them to the final, against holders Real Madrid.

text: Records[edit]

text:
Most appearances in European competition: Jamie Carragher, 150[112]
Most goals in European competition: Steven Gerrard, 41[113]
First European match: Liverpool 6–0 Knattspyrnufélag Reykjavíkur, European Cup, first round, 17 August 1964[114]
First goal scored in Europe: Gordon Wallace, against KR Reykjavik[115]
Biggest win: Liverpool 11–0 Strømsgodset, in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 17 September 1974[114]
Biggest defeat: Liverpool 1–5 Ajax, in the European Cup, 7 December 1966[116]
Highest European home attendance: 55,104, against Barcelona in the 1975–76 UEFA Cup, 14 April 1976[117][118]
Lowest European home attendance: 12,021 against Dundalk in the 1982–83 European Cup[117]

text: By season[edit]

text: Key

text:
P = Played
W = Games won
D = Games drawn
L = Games lost
F = Goals for
A = Goals against
GD = Goal difference
Grp = Group stage

R1 = First round
R2 = Second round
R3 = Third round
R4 = Fourth round
R16 = Round of 16
R32 = Round of 32
QF = Quarter-final
SF = Semi-final

Key to colours:

Gold
Winners

Silver
Runners-up

text:
Liverpool F.C. record in European football by season[119][120][121]

Season
Competition
P
W
D
L
F
A
Round

1964–65
European Cup
9
5
3
1
18
5
R6 !SF

1965–66
European Cup Winners' Cup
9
5
1
3
12
6
Runners-up

1966–67
European Cup
4
1
1
2
6
8
R2

1967–68
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
6
3
0
3
13
5
R3

1968–69
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
1
3
0
1
3
3
R1

1969–70
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
4
3
0
1
17
3
R2

1970–71
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
10
5
4
1
13
4
R6 !SF

1971–72
European Cup Winners' Cup
4
1
1
2
4
5
R2

1972–73
UEFA Cup
12
8
2
2
17
6
Winners

1973–74
European Cup
4
1
1
2
5
5
R2

1974–75
European Cup Winners' Cup
4
2
2
0
12
1
R2

1975–76
UEFA Cup
12
8
3
1
25
8
Winners

1976–77
European Cup
9
7
0
2
22
5
Winners

1977
European Super Cup
2
1
1
0
7
1
Winners

1977–78
European Cup
7
5
0
2
17
7
Winners

1978
European Super Cup
2
1
0
1
3
4
Runners-up

1978–79
European Cup
2
0
1
1
0
2
R1

1979–80
European Cup
2
1
0
1
2
4
R1

1980–81
European Cup
9
6
3
0
24
4
Winners

1981
Intercontinental Cup
1
0
0
1
0
3
Runners-up

1981–82
European Cup
6
4
1
1
14
6
R5 !QF

1982–83
European Cup
6
4
0
2
13
6
R5 !QF

1983–84
European Cup
9
7
2
0
16
3
Winners

1984
European Super Cup
1
0
0
1
0
2
Runners-up

1984
Intercontinental Cup
1
0
0
1
0
1
Runners-up

1984–85
European Cup
9
6
1
2
18
5
Runners-up

1991–92
UEFA Cup
8
4
0
4
16
8
R5 !QF

1992–93
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
4
2
0
2
10
8
R2

1995–96
UEFA Cup
4
1
2
1
2
2
R2

1996–97
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
8
6
1
1
18
9
R6 !SF

1997–98
UEFA Cup
4
1
2
1
4
5
R2

1998–99
UEFA Cup
6
2
2
2
11
5
R3

2000–01
UEFA Cup
13
8
4
1
19
9
Winners

2001
UEFA Super Cup
1
1
0
0
3
2
Winners

2001–02
UEFA Champions League
14
5
7
2
14
11
R5 !QF

2002–03
UEFA Champions League
6
2
2
2
12
8
Grp

2002–03
UEFA Cup
6
4
1
1
6
3
R5 !QF

2003–04
UEFA Cup
8
4
3
1
14
7
R4

2004–05
UEFA Champions League
15
8
3
4
14
11
Winners

2005
UEFA Super Cup
1
1
0
0
3
1
Winners

2005
FIFA Club World Cup
2
1
0
1
3
1
Runners-up

2005–06
UEFA Champions League
14
8
3
3
20
7
R16

2006–07
UEFA Champions League
15
8
4
3
23
12
Runners-up

2007–08
UEFA Champions League
14
8
3
3
34
11
R6 !SF

2008–09
UEFA Champions League
12
7
4
1
22
12
R5 !QF

2009–10
UEFA Champions League
6
2
1
3
5
7
Grp

2009–10
UEFA Europa League
8
5
0
3
14
8
R6 !SF

2010–11
UEFA Europa League
14
7
6
1
16
5
R16

2012–13
UEFA Europa League
12
7
2
3
20
13
R32

2014–15
UEFA Champions League
6
1
2
3
5
9
Grp

2014–15
UEFA Europa League
2
1
0
1
1
1
R32

2015–16
UEFA Europa League
15
6
7
2
19
13
Runners-up

2017–18
UEFA Champions League
15
9
4
2
47
19
Runners-up

text: By competition[edit]

text:
Liverpool F.C. record in European football by competition[122]

Competition
P
W
D
L
F
A

European Cup/UEFA Champions League
196
110
45
41
368
171

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
29
16
5
8
57
29

UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
124
66
34
24
186
94

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
22
12
4
6
46
15

UEFA Super Cup
7
4
1
2
16
10

Intercontinental Cup
2
0
0
2
0
4

FIFA Club World Cup
2
1
0
1
3
1

Total
382
208
89
85
677
325

text: By country[edit]

text:
Liverpool F.C. record in Continental football by country[123]

Country[a]
Pld
W
D
L
F
A
GD
Win%

 Argentina
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
7000100000000000000♠1
−1
005000000000000000000♠0.00

 Austria
7000600000000000000♠6
7000400000000000000♠4
7000100000000000000♠1
7000100000000000000♠1
7001130000000000000♠13
7000300000000000000♠3
+10
07001666700000000000♠66.67

 Belarus
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000400000000000000♠4
5000000000000000000♠0
+4
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Belgium
7001130000000000000♠13
7001100000000000000♠10
7000200000000000000♠2
7000100000000000000♠1
7001220000000000000♠22
7000900000000000000♠9
+13
07001769200000000000♠76.92

 Brazil
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
7000400000000000000♠4
−4
005000000000000000000♠0.00

 Bulgaria
7001100000000000000♠10
7000700000000000000♠7
7000100000000000000♠1
7000200000000000000♠2
7001200000000000000♠20
7001100000000000000♠10
+10
07001700000000000000♠70.00

 Costa Rica
7000100000000000000♠1
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000300000000000000♠3
5000000000000000000♠0
+3
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Cyprus
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000800000000000000♠8
7000200000000000000♠2
+6
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Czech Republic
7000400000000000000♠4
7000300000000000000♠3
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
7000500000000000000♠5
7000200000000000000♠2
+3
07001750000000000000♠75.00

 Denmark
7000400000000000000♠4
7000200000000000000♠2
7000100000000000000♠1
7000100000000000000♠1
7000600000000000000♠6
7000100000000000000♠1
+5
07001500000000000000♠50.00

 England
7001220000000000000♠22
7000700000000000000♠7
7000900000000000000♠9
7000600000000000000♠6
7001250000000000000♠25
7001210000000000000♠21
+4
07001318200000000000♠31.82

 Finland
7001120000000000000♠12
7000900000000000000♠9
7000200000000000000♠2
7000100000000000000♠1
7001430000000000000♠43
7000700000000000000♠7
+36
07001750000000000000♠75.00

 France
7001260000000000000♠26
7001150000000000000♠15
7000200000000000000♠2
7000900000000000000♠9
7001380000000000000♠38
7001200000000000000♠20
+18
07001576900000000000♠57.69

 Germany
7001420000000000000♠42
7001210000000000000♠21
7001140000000000000♠14
7000700000000000000♠7
7001760000000000000♠76
7001370000000000000♠37
+39
07001500000000000000♠50.00

 Georgia
7000200000000000000♠2
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
7000100000000000000♠1
7000200000000000000♠2
7000400000000000000♠4
−2
07001500000000000000♠50.00

 Greece
7000800000000000000♠8
7000600000000000000♠6
7000100000000000000♠1
7000100000000000000♠1
7001180000000000000♠18
7000500000000000000♠5
+13
07001750000000000000♠75.00

 Hungary
7001100000000000000♠10
7000400000000000000♠4
7000400000000000000♠4
7000200000000000000♠2
7000700000000000000♠7
7000400000000000000♠4
+3
07001400000000000000♠40.00

 Iceland
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7001110000000000000♠11
7000100000000000000♠1
+10
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Ireland
7000400000000000000♠4
7000400000000000000♠4
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7001190000000000000♠19
7000100000000000000♠1
+18
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Israel
7000200000000000000♠2
7000100000000000000♠1
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
7000300000000000000♠3
7000200000000000000♠2
+1
07001500000000000000♠50.00

 Italy
7001270000000000000♠27
7001100000000000000♠10
7000700000000000000♠7
7001100000000000000♠10
7001340000000000000♠34
7001340000000000000♠34
+0
07001370400000000000♠37.04

 Lithuania
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000500000000000000♠5
7000100000000000000♠1
+4
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Luxembourg
7000200000000000000♠2
7000100000000000000♠1
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
7000300000000000000♠3
7000100000000000000♠1
+2
07001500000000000000♠50.00

 Macedonia
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000400000000000000♠4
5000000000000000000♠0
+4
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Netherlands
7001140000000000000♠14
7000800000000000000♠8
7000500000000000000♠5
7000100000000000000♠1
7001220000000000000♠22
7001120000000000000♠12
+10
07001571400000000000♠57.14

 Northern Ireland
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000700000000000000♠7
5000000000000000000♠0
+7
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Norway
7000400000000000000♠4
7000300000000000000♠3
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
7001160000000000000♠16
7000100000000000000♠1
+15
07001750000000000000♠75.00

 Poland
7000600000000000000♠6
7000500000000000000♠5
5000000000000000000♠0
7000100000000000000♠1
7001130000000000000♠13
7000500000000000000♠5
+8
07001833300000000000♠83.33

 Portugal
7001220000000000000♠22
7001100000000000000♠10
7000600000000000000♠6
7000600000000000000♠6
7001360000000000000♠36
7001190000000000000♠19
+17
07001454500000000000♠45.45

 Romania
7001150000000000000♠15
7001100000000000000♠10
7000400000000000000♠4
7000100000000000000♠1
7001240000000000000♠24
7000900000000000000♠9
+15
07001666700000000000♠66.67

 Russia
7001130000000000000♠13
7000700000000000000♠7
7000200000000000000♠2
7000400000000000000♠4
7001270000000000000♠27
7001140000000000000♠14
+13
07001538500000000000♠53.85

 Scotland
7001140000000000000♠14
7000700000000000000♠7
7000400000000000000♠4
7000300000000000000♠3
7001180000000000000♠18
7000900000000000000♠9
+9
07001500000000000000♠50.00

 Serbia
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
7000400000000000000♠4
−2
005000000000000000000♠0.00

 Slovakia
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000800000000000000♠8
5000000000000000000♠0
+8
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Slovenia
7000400000000000000♠4
7000300000000000000♠3
7000100000000000000♠1
5000000000000000000♠0
7001140000000000000♠14
7000100000000000000♠1
+13
07001750000000000000♠75.00

 Spain
7001400000000000000♠40
7001150000000000000♠15
7001120000000000000♠12
7001130000000000000♠13
7001500000000000000♠50
7001440000000000000♠44
+6
07001375000000000000♠37.50

 Sweden
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000400000000000000♠4
7000100000000000000♠1
+3
7002100000000000000♠100.00

  Switzerland
7001130000000000000♠13
7000600000000000000♠6
7000500000000000000♠5
7000200000000000000♠2
7001290000000000000♠29
7001180000000000000♠18
+11
07001461500000000000♠46.15

 Turkey
7001120000000000000♠12
7000600000000000000♠6
7000200000000000000♠2
7000400000000000000♠4
7001220000000000000♠22
7001110000000000000♠11
+11
07001500000000000000♠50.00

 Ukraine
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000300000000000000♠3
7000100000000000000♠1
+2
7002100000000000000♠100.00

 Wales
7000200000000000000♠2
7000200000000000000♠2
5000000000000000000♠0
5000000000000000000♠0
7000600000000000000♠6
5000000000000000000♠0
+6
7002100000000000000♠100.00

text: Honours[edit]

text:
Liverpool F.C. honours in European competition

Honour
No.
Years

European Cup/UEFA Champions League
5
1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005

UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
3
1973, 1976, 2001

UEFA Super Cup
3
1977, 2001, 2005

text: Notes[edit]

text: Jump up ^ The table excludes former nations such as East Germany and the Soviet Union.


document_title: List of National Football League career passing yards leaders

question_text: who is the all time passing yards leader

root

text: Players with at least 30,000 passing yards[edit]

text:
Key

^
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

*
Denotes player who is still active in the NFL

tag: table

text: Through Week 15 of 2017 season

tag: p

text:
Rank
Player
Team(s) by season
Yards

1
Manning, PeytonPeyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011)
Denver Broncos (2012–2015)
71,940

2
Favre, BrettBrett Favre^
Atlanta Falcons (1991)
Green Bay Packers (1992–2007)
New York Jets (2008)
Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)
71,838

3
Brees, DrewDrew Brees*
San Diego Chargers (2001–2005)
New Orleans Saints (since 2006)
69,965

4
Brady, TomTom Brady*
New England Patriots (since 2000)
65,745

5
Marino, DanDan Marino^
Miami Dolphins (1983–1999)
61,361

6
Elway, JohnJohn Elway^
Denver Broncos (1983–1998)
51,475

7
Manning, EliEli Manning*
New York Giants (since 2004)
51,287

8
Roethlisberger, BenBen Roethlisberger*
Pittsburgh Steelers (since 2004)
50,839

9
Rivers, PhilipPhilip Rivers*
San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (since 2004)
49,671

10
Moon, WarrenWarren Moon^
Houston Oilers (1984–1993)
Minnesota Vikings (1994–1996)
Seattle Seahawks (1997–1998)
Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)
49,325

11
Tarkenton, FranFran Tarkenton^
Minnesota Vikings (1961–1966, 1972–1978)
New York Giants (1967–1971)
47,003

12
Palmer, CarsonCarson Palmer*
Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2010)
Oakland Raiders (2011–2012)
Arizona Cardinals (since 2013)
46,247

13
Testaverde, VinnyVinny Testaverde
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987–1992)
Cleveland Browns (1993–1995)
Baltimore Ravens (1996–1997)
New York Jets (1998–2003, 2005)
Dallas Cowboys (2004)
New England Patriots (2006)
Carolina Panthers (2007)
46,233

14
Bledsoe, DrewDrew Bledsoe
New England Patriots (1993–2001)
Buffalo Bills (2002–2004)
Dallas Cowboys (2005–2006)
44,611

15
Fouts, DanDan Fouts^
San Diego Chargers (1973–1987)
43,040

16
Ryan, MattMatt Ryan*
Atlanta Falcons (since 2008)
41,191

17
Collins, KerryKerry Collins
Carolina Panthers (1995–1998)[a])
New Orleans Saints (1998)
New York Giants (1999–2003)
Oakland Raiders (2004–2005)
Tennessee Titans (2006–2010)
Indianapolis Colts (2011)
40,922

18
Montana, JoeJoe Montana^
San Francisco 49ers (1979–1992)
Kansas City Chiefs (1993–1994)
40,551

19
Unitas, JohnnyJohnny Unitas^
Baltimore Colts (1956–1972)
San Diego Chargers (1973)
40,239

20
Rodgers, AaronAaron Rodgers*
Green Bay Packers (since 2005)
38,502

21
Krieg, DaveDave Krieg
Seattle Seahawks (1980–1991)
Kansas City Chiefs (1992–1993)
Detroit Lions (1994)
Arizona Cardinals (1995)
Chicago Bears (1996)
Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)
38,147

22
Esiason, BoomerBoomer Esiason
Cincinnati Bengals (1984–1992)
New York Jets (1993–1995)
Arizona Cardinals (1996)
Cincinnati Bengals (1997)
37,920

23
McNabb, DonovanDonovan McNabb
Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2009)
Washington Redskins (2010)
Minnesota Vikings (2011)
37,276

24
Hasselbeck, MattMatt Hasselbeck
Green Bay Packers (1998–2000)
Seattle Seahawks (2001–2010)
Tennessee Titans (2011–2012)
Indianapolis Colts (2013–2015)
36,638

25
Kelly, JimJim Kelly^
Buffalo Bills (1986–1996)
35,467

26
Flacco, JoeJoe Flacco*
Baltimore Ravens (since 2008)
35,340

27
Everett, JimJim Everett
Los Angeles Rams (1986–1993)
New Orleans Saints (1994–1996)
San Diego Chargers (1997)
34,837

28
Hart, JimJim Hart
St. Louis Cardinals (1966–1983)
Washington Redskins (1984)
34,665

29
Cutler, JayJay Cutler*
Denver Broncos (2006–2008)
Chicago Bears (2009–2016)
Miami Dolphins (since 2017)
34,626

30
DeBerg, SteveSteve DeBerg
San Francisco 49ers (1978–1980)
Denver Broncos (1981–1983)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984–1987, 1992–1993[b])
Kansas City Chiefs (1988–1991)
Miami Dolphins (1993)
Atlanta Falcons (1998)
34,241

31
Stafford, MatthewMatthew Stafford*
Detroit Lions (since 2009)
34,223

32
Romo, TonyTony Romo
Dallas Cowboys (2003–2016)
34,183

33
Hadl, JohnJohn Hadl
San Diego Chargers (1962–1972)
Los Angeles Rams (1973–1974[c])
Green Bay Packers (1974–1975)
Houston Oilers (1976–1977)
33,503

34
Simms, PhilPhil Simms
New York Giants (1979–1993)
33,462

35
Young, SteveSteve Young^
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1985–1986
San Francisco 49ers (1987–1999)
33,124

36
Aikman, TroyTroy Aikman^
Dallas Cowboys (1989–2000)
32,942

37
Anderson, KenKen Anderson
Cincinnati Bengals (1971–1986)
32,838

38
Warner, KurtKurt Warner^
St. Louis Rams (1998–2003)
New York Giants (2004)
Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009)
32,344

39
Jurgensen, SonnySonny Jurgensen^
Philadelphia Eagles (1957–1963)
Washington Redskins (1964–1974)
32,224

40
Brunell, MarkMark Brunell
Green Bay Packers (1993–1994)
Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–2003)
Washington Redskins (2004–2006)
New Orleans Saints (2008–2009)
New York Jets (2010–2011)
32,072

41
Smith, AlexAlex Smith*
San Francisco 49ers (2005–2012)
Kansas City Chiefs (since 2013)
31,584

42
Brodie, JohnJohn Brodie
San Francisco 49ers (1957–1973)
31,548

43
McNair, SteveSteve McNair
Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans (1995–2005)
Baltimore Ravens (2006–2007)
31,304

44
Snead, NormNorm Snead
Washington Redskins (1961–1963)
Philadelphia Eagles (1964–1970)
Minnesota Vikings (1971)
New York Giants (1972–1974, 1976)
San Francisco 49ers (1974–1975)
30,797

text: Note: Y. A. Tittle passed for 33,070 yards in his professional career. However, 4,731 of those yards came in the All-American Football Conference (AAFC). The NFL does not recognize statistics and records accrued in the AAFC.[1][2] As such, his career passing yards total in the NFL stands at 28,339.[3]

tag: ul

text: Active players with 25,000–29,999 yards[edit]

text: Through Week 15 of 2017 season in progress; numbers in yards

text:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, 26,991
Andy Dalton, 25,074

text: Historical passing yards leaders[edit]

text: Nine players are recognized as having held the record as the NFL's career passing yardage leader.[4] The longest record holder was Fran Tarkenton who held the record for 19 years.

text:
Reign
Player
Team(s) by season
Yards

1932–1943
(11 years)
Arnie Herber^
Green Bay Packers (1930–1940)
New York Giants (1944–1945)
8,041

1943–1959
(16 years)
Sammy Baugh^
Washington Redskins (1937-1952)
21,886

1959–1964
(5 years)
Bobby Layne^
Chicago Bears (1948)
New York Bulldogs (1949)
Detroit Lions (1950–1958)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1958–1962)
26,768

1964–1967
(3 years)
Y. A. Tittle^
Baltimore Colts (1948–1950)
San Francisco 49ers (1951–1960)
New York Giants (1961–1964)
28,339

1967–1976
(9 years)
Johnny Unitas^
Baltimore Colts (1956–1972)
San Diego Chargers (1973)
40,239

1976–1995
(19 years)
Fran Tarkenton^
Minnesota Vikings (1961–1966)
New York Giants (1967–1971)
Minnesota Vikings (1972–1978)
47,003

1995–2007
(12 years)
Dan Marino^
Miami Dolphins (1983–1999)
61,361

2007–2015
(8 years)
Brett Favre^
Atlanta Falcons (1991)
Green Bay Packers (1992–2007)
New York Jets (2008)
Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)
71,838

Since 2015
(2 years)
Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011)
Denver Broncos (2012–2015)
71,940


document_title: Housing Benefit

question_text: when was housing benefit introduced in the uk

question_tokens: when was housing benefit introduced in the uk

text: Housing Benefit

text: History[edit]

text: Housing benefit was transferred from the Department of Social Security to local authorities in 1982. This was to coincide with increasing deregulation of the private sector rental market as it was felt at the time that local authorities would have a better understanding of local rental market conditions than the DSS. Its full transfer took place in 1989 as part of a major reform of social security legislation which also saw the introduction of Income Support.

text: Concepts and terminology[edit]

text: Housing Benefit will only meet the pure rent costs of any liability. Central to benefit decisions is an assessment of eligible rent and ineligible services. Eligible rent is that part of the rent paid by a person which can legally be covered by housing benefit. Ineligible services are the parts of the claimant's rent liability that he must meet himself. Ineligible services include such things as the cost of heating, lighting, water rates, meals and any general counselling and support that may be included in the rent charged but will not be met by Housing Benefit.

text: The payment of the benefit is centred on the concept of a benefit week, which is a seven-day period running from a Monday to a Sunday. Housing Benefit may be paid on a weekly, fortnightly, lunar monthly or calendar monthly basis. Housing Benefit paid to landlords is usually paid four weeks in arrears. Regulations require local authorities to take into account the needs of the claimant when deciding on the frequency of benefit payments, however due to the complexity of calculating a calendar monthly payment and especially any overpayments that arise, most local authorities pay benefit fortnightly to claimants and four weekly to landlords.

text: For claimants not on a "passported benefit", the concept of a benefit week is particularly important as benefit will only be paid from the start of a tenancy if the form is requested on the same benefit week as moving in. In all other cases for tenants not on a passported benefit, Housing Benefit will start only from the Monday after the form was requested. If the form is returned within a month of request, otherwise benefit is payable from the Monday after the council receives it.

text: Applicants who successfully apply for a passported benefit along with their Housing Benefit have a calendar month to return the Housing Benefit form, from the date of application to the passported benefit. If the form is returned within one month of that date benefit starts from the Monday after the start date of the passported benefit - even if that benefit is backdated.

text: Originally using paper application forms, in recent years local authorities have begun to use a telephone-based application process. Under these latter application schemes, claimants would often contact the responsible central government department, who would then forward the details to the local authority. This has turned out to be a somewhat prescient decision; the gateway for claimants to the new Universal Credit system, which replaces Housing Benefit, is the central government department, not local authorities.

text: The date of claim will be the date the claimant you first contacted the Department for Works and Pensions, for claimants applying to the Department for Work and Pensions, and otherwise the date of claim will be treated as the date he contacted the Local Authority.

text: Benefit cap[edit]

text: Due to a benefit cap many claimants have had their housing benefit reduced to 50p a week and are at risk of losing their homes if they cannot pay their rent.[9] New building providing supported housing for vulnerable people is being cut due to uncertainty whether prospective tenants will be able to pay the rent. Schemes affected include homes for war veterans, for people with learning disabilities helping them live independently. Safe housing for domestic violence victims could also be at risk. New schemes are postponed or cancelled and existing schemes are being closed. David Orr of the National Housing Federation said, “With social care in crisis, the role supported housing plays in alleviating pressures on the NHS is ever more important. These changes have not even come in yet and they have taken 7,000 homes for vulnerable people out of the pipeline. The proposed changes in funding bear no relation to the real cost of providing this type of housing. It is time government put supported housing on a secure and sustainable footing.”[10] The most vulnerable people, elderly people, severely disabled people and people with mental health problems need a great deal of support and the benefit cap disproportionately pprevents them from getting what they need.[11]

text: Polly Neate of Shelter said, “The money put forward [by the government for social housing] is only a fraction of what’s needed, given just how bad this crisis has become. Building new homes also takes time, and time is not on the side of the million private renters who could risk being tipped into homelessness by the freeze on housing benefit. Whether a struggling family or a young person in low-paid work, the freeze is stripping away the help people desperately need to pay their rent. (...) We are urging the government to abandon the freeze on housing benefit in the autumn budget or risk making more people homeless.”[12]

text: Local Housing Allowance[edit]

text: The Government has introduced a new rent restriction policy for the calculation of Housing Benefit for private tenants called Local Housing Allowance. The scheme replaces two previous methods of controlling high rents for most new tenancies. Old scheme cases where the local authority decided the level of restriction based on the cost of suitable alternative accommodation (in operation from 15 January 1989 to 1 January 1996), Reference Rent cases, where the level of eligible rent was decided by the Rent Service based on the lower of what a landlord would have been able to obtain had a landlord not been renting to a tenant on Housing Benefit (the claim related rent) and the average cost of similar properties in that area (the local reference rent).

text: For LHA cases the eligible rent is decided in part by the size of property a claimant needs. This figure is published monthly by the council and the Rent Service. If the tenant rents more expensive accommodation, the rent is restricted to the LHA rate for that area. By publicising how much Housing Benefit a tenant can get for the need for Pre-Tenancy Determinations is removed.

text: The Local Housing Allowance is set at the 30th percentile level for rents in the Broad Market Rental Area. The Broad Market Rental areas are similar in geographic size to Counties. This has led to a number of counties such as Cambridgeshire[13] criticising the scheme because market rents in the city area of the county are considerably higher than those in the shire areas of the county. The House of Lords ruled against the concept of very large Broad Market Rental areas in the Heffernan case (R (Heffernan) v The Rent Service [2008] UKHL 58). The DWP re-introduced legislation to overturn this decision, restoring its intention to use very large broad market rental areas to draw down the cost of the scheme.

text: Local Housing Allowance was introduced across all Local Authority areas on 7 April 2008. The legislation to enable the scheme is contained in the Welfare Reform Act which received Royal Assent in May 2007. The local authorities that trialled the new system were known as Pathfinder Authorities. They were Argyll and Bute, Blackpool, Brighton and Hove, Conwy county borough, Coventry, East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Edinburgh, Guildford, City of Leeds, London Borough of Lewisham, North East Lincolnshire, Norwich, Pembrokeshire, City of Salford, South Norfolk, Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Teignbridge, London Borough of Wandsworth

text: The final scheme was different in that the maximum difference between the rent payable and the eligible local housing allowance was restricted to £15. In addition in some pilot authorities, all tenants whose rent had been assessed according to reference rent rules were transferred to LHA, when the national scheme came in only those who made a new claim or moved went on to LHA.

text: From April 2011 the £15 paid to those whose rent was below LHA levels was scrapped. Now the maximum payable will be the rent or the LHA rate, whichever is the lower.

text: From April 2009, the maximum LHA that can be awarded will be restricted to the rate payable for four rooms.

text: Reference Rent Cases[edit]

text: This scheme will remain in operation for existing claimants who do not have a break in their Housing Benefit claim or do not move property. It was introduced with effect from 2 January 1996. The level of eligible rent is decided by the Rent Service. Either on application by the Local Authority on an annual basis or if the tenant had taken out a Pre Tenancy Determination.

text: Northern Ireland[edit]

text: In Northern Ireland, tenants must apply to the Northern Ireland Housing Executive regardless of whether they rent from a private landlord, from the NIHE itself, or from a housing association.[14]

text: Non-LHA Housing Benefit claims[edit]

text: For Housing Benefit claims made before (or still existing at) the roll-out of Local Housing Allowance scheme on 7 April 2008, different rent restriction rules apply.

text: The earlier system for calculation of eligible rent is specific to the individual property.

text: The maximum Housing Benefit will be based on:-

text:
the tenant's actual rent less services if the rent is "reasonable";
the rent that would be "reasonable" in the area for the size of premises the tenant occupies in comparison to what would have been obtained by the landlord had the property not been rented to someone on Housing Benefit (the claim-related rent) or
the average level of rent that would have been "reasonable" for that type of accommodation in the area (the Local Reference Rent)

text: or where the tenant has a home too large for the needs

text: the average level of rent that would be payable for the type of accommodation reasonable in the area for the actual size of accommodation that the tenant needs for his/her household. (Exceptionally large determination)

text: Further restrictions can be imposed if the tenant is occupying accommodation in the luxury end of the market.

text: These restrictions are decided either by the council, if the property is exempt from the Reference Rent rules and the LHA, or the Rent Service if the benefit being paid is subject to Reference Rent rules.

text: The Rent Officer may visit the property (or may have done so already) although this is not a requirement. If a property is visited and the Rent Officer is not given access, the Council may terminate the claim, unless access is granted. If there are services included in the rent (such as fuel bills, water charges, laundry or room cleaning), the rent officer will deduct the value of these as Housing Benefit cannot pay for them.

text: The Rent Officer decision is the maximum that the Council can pay for Reference Rent cases, for cases that are treated under the Pre 1996 rules, the figure is used to decide how much the DWP awards the Local Authority in subsidy and is purely indicative. This decision is made annually, although the Local Council may be late in making the application. If the decision is higher the effective date of the increase will be the Monday of the week of the referral; if the decision is lower, the effective date is the Monday after the new decision is received by the Local Council. This is to avoid overpayments arising as a result of the Rent Service decision. If the decision is lower, any overpayment is LA Error and may only be recovered if it is reasonable to expect that the claimant knew that the decision was going to be lower.

text: The rent officer makes the following valuations.

text: Claim-related rent[edit]

text: This has three parts. The lowest of these three figures is called the claim-related rent and is shown on the pre-tenancy determination decision.

text: Significantly high rent[edit]

text: The rent officer will have decided if the rent your landlord has asked for is reasonable compared with other properties in the vicinity. If it is too high, the rent officer will set a reasonable figure. The "vicinity" means the immediate area around the property. If the property is in a town or city, this could mean just the street the property is in or a few adjoining streets. If the property is in the country, the "vicinity" could be a small village.

text: The "vicinity" is much smaller than the Broad Market Rental Area used to decide LHA Rates.

text: Number of rooms (size criteria)[edit]

text: The rent officer will consider whether the property has more rooms than the Housing Benefit rules say are needed. If the property has too many rooms, the rent officer will decide what the eligible rent used would be for a similar property with the right number of rooms.

text: The rules are strict and the rent officer is not able to alter them. If an extra room is needed (for example if the claimant has special disability needs), the claimant should apply to the Council for a DHP.

text: Underoccupancy charge (Bedroom Tax)[edit]

text: From April 2013 if a claimant is considered to be under-occupying their property, their payment of Housing Benefit will be reduced by 14% for one bedroom and 25% for two or more bedrooms considered to be additional to the claimant's needs. DHP's will be made available to cover the shortfall for those affected by the change. Priority will be given to claimants with disabilities.

text: Exceptionally high rent[edit]

text: After having made these decisions, the rent officer decides if the lowest figure is still much higher than most rents for properties in the neighbourhood with the right number of rooms. This might be because of the property is in the luxury end of the market, or because of the services or amenities provided. If it is much higher, the rent officer will decide a figure that is in keeping with the general level of rents. ‘Services’ are things that the landlord does or supplies beyond providing the basic accommodation, such as doing the laundry or cleaning the property. ‘Amenities’ are the physical things at the property, such as a swimming pool or tennis court.

text: Local reference rent[edit]

text: The rent officer will also decide how much is generally paid for property with the right number of rooms in the ‘locality’. This is called the local reference rent and will be shown if it is lower than the claim-related rent.

text: The local reference rent is the midpoint of the range of rents for all types of property with a similar number of rooms in the same ‘locality’ as the claimant's home. The ‘locality’ is an area with at least two neighbourhoods. Within this area there will be a mix of property types and alternative places to live within a reasonable travelling distance of similar public amenities. The range of rents used will not include any rent that is unusually high or low.

text: Single room rent[edit]

text: If the claimant is single and under 25, with no non-dependants or children living with the claimant, the rent officer will also decide how much is generally paid in the locality for a single room with a shared living room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet, but without any food or fuel bills included. This is called the single room rent and will be shown if it is lower than the claim-related rent. If the claimant is severely disabled, the Single Room Rent will not be applied.

text: A more generous rent restriction scheme applies to tenants of charities, voluntary organisations or registered social landlords, whose tenancy includes care support and supervision provided directly by the landlord. These tenants fall under the rules in operation before 2 January 1996. Under this scheme rents may only be restricted to the cost of suitable alternative accommodation and in the case of claimants with children, or claimants who are elderly or disabled, the rent can only then be restricted if it is reasonable to expect the claimant to move and if there is accommodation available.

text: Exemptions from Rent Restrictions[edit]

text: No Rent Restriction applies in the following circumstances:

text: In a case where the claimant occupies a dwelling and a family member dies, the maximum rent shall be either—

text:
the maximum rent which applied before the death occurred; (no further size restriction will be applied) or
in a case where there was no maximum rent set by the Rent Service, the full rent less services for a period of 12 months from the date of such a death.

text: Where the claimant was able to meet the full rent for the dwelling when the tenancy was entered into, (there is no minimum period for this) no restriction can be applied during the first 13 weeks of the claimant's award of housing benefit. This rule does not apply if the claimant or the claimant's partner was paid Housing Benefit within 52 weeks of the start date of the current benefit award.

text: Housing Benefit payments for private tenants[edit]

text: Housing Benefit can only be paid to the landlord where the tenant is more than eight weeks in arrears.

text: Any decision to pay the landlord in an LHA case must be decided by reference to a vulnerability policy which is available from the local council.

text: Rent restrictions for council and housing association tenants[edit]

text: For those who rent from the local authority, direct rent restrictions do not apply. As a result of this, the eligible rent for tenants of local authority properties will be full rent, minus ineligible services and any non-dependant deductions.

text: Where council tenant rents are high in comparison to guidelines issued by the Department of Communities and Local Government, the restriction applies the subsidy payable to local authorities and not the individual claimant. This is done through the Rent Rebate Subsidy Limitation Percentage. Rent Rebate is normally paid at a subsidy rate of 100%. Where rents are high the amount payable by the DWP is the percentage derived from dividing the average rent for the authority by the target rent figure. The cost of this is then met by Housing Revenue Account (the total borough funds for council tenants).

text: Tenants of registered social landlords (housing associations) do not normally face restrictions but where a local authority considers the rent to be unreasonably high, or if the property is "unreasonably large" for the circumstances of the claimant it may be referred to the Rent Service and a restriction may be applied.

text: The important point is that the rent, or under occupancy must be unreasonable. So a couple in a two bedroom house will not necessarily be referred to the Rent Service.

text: Housing Benefit taper[edit]

text: The income of the claimant is compared to the "applicable amount". This is an assessment of the minimum level of income a claimant and household need to live on. This is broadly similar to the amount that such a person would be paid as Income Support / Job Seekers Allowance. If a claimant is receiving a "Passported Benefit" income support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or Pension Credit Guarantee or if the income is no higher than the applicable amount, the claimant's housing benefit will normally be the full eligible rent. This is the maximum housing benefit possible. However, deductions can be made where there are non-dependants living in the household (except where the claimant is blind or in receipt of the higher rate of the Care component of Disability Living Allowance).

text: Income is after tax and NI, but plus working and child tax credits, however child benefit is ignored. But, provided work more than 16 hours per week, there is also some "income disregard" depending on the claimant's circumstances.

text: If a claimant's income is higher than applicable amount then a deduction is made from the maximum housing benefit entitlement based on how high the eligible income is. Housing benefit is reduced at a rate of 65p for each £1 of excess income. (For Council Tax benefit the amount is reduced by 20p for each £1). The calculated income will also include an assumed rate of income generated from any savings held by the claimant.

text: For example, assume that the maximum permitted housing benefit that could be paid for an individual who attracted the full rate of benefit were £100. Assume further that this claimant is not entitled to the full amount because his income exceeds the applicable amount by £60; that is, he has excess income of £60. The maximum possible benefit will be reduced by 65% of £60 to a value of £100 - (65% X £60) = £100 - £39 = £61; his award of housing benefit using the current taper is thus £61 instead of the maximum possible amount of £100.

text: Actual rates of interest are ignored when calculating income from Capital. When calculating income from capital the first £6000 of savings are disregarded. The Council may still require proof of any savings that are held below this amount. Undeclared savings and income are often picked up through data matching. This matching process is compulsory for all Local Authorities. Not declaring savings or income is likely to lead to the claimant being prosecuted for fraud. Since 2009, if there is more than £10000 in savings each £500 of savings (or part thereof) results in an extra £1 a week in income being assumed in the calculation of income. This is termed notional income, but in any case housing benefits cannot be paid if the total savings reach £16000. (See below)

text: Claimants are automatically excluded from benefit with more than £16,000 of capital (unless qualifying for Pension Credit Guarantee). Certain types of capital, such as personal injury compensation payments and the value of capital that is no longer available to the claimant are disregarded.

text: This deduction is known as the taper, and in this way, housing benefit is means tested.

text: Non-dependant deductions[edit]

text: A non-dependant is a person that the claimant is sharing accommodation with but is not a member of their own household (that is, not a partner, dependant, etc.), such as lodgers or joint tenants. Since it would be reasonable to expect non-dependants to contribute towards the property rent, Housing Benefit is reduced so that it only covers the claimant's portion of the rent.

text: However, no reduction imposed if the claimant or their partner needs substantial care; this qualification is met if, and only if, the claimant is:

text:
Registered blind
In receipt of

the Care Component (any rate) of Disability Living Allowance, or
Severe Disablement Allowance, or
Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance

text: No contribution is expected from non-dependants who are full-time students, are normally resident elsewhere, or are under 18. Likewise, no deduction applies where a non dependent is aged under 25 and receives a passported benefit (other than the main phase of income-related employment and support allowance, which attracts the lowest deduction) The remaining non-dependants are each hypothetically expected to contribute the following amounts based on their gross weekly income (in 2014 monetary terms):

text:
£14.15 if working fewer than 16 hours per week, otherwise
£14.15 if weekly income is under £128
£32.45 if weekly income is between £128 and £187.99
£44.55 if weekly income is between £188 and £244.99
£72.95 if weekly income is between £245 and £325.99
£83.05 if weekly income is between £326 and £405.99
£91.15 if weekly income is over £406

text: The maximum rent used in the Housing Benefit calculation is therefore reduced by an amount equal to these hypothetically expected contributions.

text: Some landlords, particularly Registered Social Landlords, operate rent-free weeks in their tenancies, which can have the effect of making the benefit reduction appear more severe. The reduction is applied for each week in the year, but housing benefit is only paid for the rent that is due, leading to the reduction effectively being increased, on rent-due weeks, by a factor of 52 : (52 less the number of rent-free weeks).

text: Pre-tenancy determinations[edit]

text: Before the introduction of the Local Housing Allowance the only way of finding out whether the benefit for the property would be restricted would have been to obtain a Pre Tenancy Determination. These had to be requested through the local authority and The Rent Service decision was treated by the Local Authority in the same way as any other referral to the Rent Service. Requests needed to be made by a prospective tenant and the landlord of the property. If the circumstances of the individual claimant were broadly the same as that of the prospective tenant who made the request for the PTD the decision remained valid for a year.

text: Delays in processing leading to "No-DSS"[edit]

text: Many larger councils suffered from delays in processing Housing Benefit claims. Delays of up to a year were reported.[15] Delays and rent restrictions were so endemic in the system that it became common to see classified advertisements for lettings stating No DSS. (That is the Department of Social Security, now called the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), but still widely known under its old name.) It usually meant that the landlord was not willing to consider letting to a tenant who would be dependent on housing benefit to pay the rent.

text: Performance of councils has improved after millions of pounds in public money were poured in to support the worst performing councils.[16] The DWP requires councils to process claims within an average of thirty days from receipt to payment. Changes in the circumstances of claimants must be decided on within a target of twelve days. After a review of performance indicators, the DWP combined these targets into one indicator – the right time indicator.[17]

text: Very few councils are now reporting backlogs, although the recession has seen an increase in case-load which has resulted in the Government granting Local Authorities an additional £45 million[18] for 2009/10 in order to ensure continued good performance.

text: In practice, lettings agencies will usually obtain credit references on prospective tenants and, once the tenants have moved in, they are ambivalent as to whether tenants claim housing benefit or not, as long as the rent is paid on time.

text: Local Housing Allowance is designed to ensure that landlords do not have a reason to discriminate against tenants on Housing Benefit, as in most cases there will be no need for a landlord to know that the tenant is on Housing Benefit, and the tenant can know in advance if rent will be met in full.

text: Some landlord organisations have raised concerns[19] about Local Housing Allowance as they believe it has made rents more difficult to collect from those on Housing Benefit.

text: Changes in circumstances[edit]

text: Local authorities advise tenants that if their circumstances change, they must notify the housing benefit office "immediately".

text: In the event that a tenant's circumstances change such that the tenant might become entitled to more housing benefit (for example, a fall in income), the tenant must notify the local authority within one month, or the increase will take place from the Monday following the date the notification takes place (unless the claimant can show a good enough reason for the delay).

text: If a tenant's circumstances change so that the tenant becomes entitled to less housing benefit, the tenant will be overpaid. In some circumstances the tenant and/or landlord, will be charged with fraud if the local authority is not informed within a reasonable amount of time. Recovery of overpaid Housing Benefit is governed by the Housing Benefit Regulations. All overpayments are recoverable, except those caused by official error where claimants could not at the time of receiving payment have known that they were being overpaid.

text: In practice, this means that tenants who do contingent work, who have fluctuating income, or whose circumstances change frequently for other reasons, must report to the housing benefit office on a regular basis. There are no standard forms for such reporting, and each week's income may be treated as a separate change in circumstance. As a result, it can be very complicated to check that Housing Benefit taper deductions are correct if a tenant's income fluctuates wildly. The local authority is allowed to take a reasonable average over a longer or shorter period of time in order to minimise the impact of this. Critics of the system contend that this is a powerful disincentive for unemployed people to find work, particularly if they suffer from mild disabilities or learning difficulties.[citation needed]

text: In order to minimise the impact of heavily fluctuating incomes further, changes that used to require a new claim, such as the award of extended payments, stopping of income-based Job Seeker's Allowance or Income Support are now treated as a change of circumstances. Reducing the amount of paperwork needed by the claimant and council.

text: Treatment of overpayments[edit]

text: The local authority can deduct overpayment debts from ongoing entitlement to housing benefit. As of April 2015, this rate is a maximum of £11.10per week, plus half of any 'earned income disregard' which applies to the claimant's income. In addition, a local authority can increase deductions by half (50%) of certain disregards, if applicable for earnings regular charitable income or voluntary payments War Disablement Pension or War Widows Pension

text: This means that the maximum standard deduction from April 2015 could be £36.10 per week, if an earned income disregard of £25.00 would normally apply. The only exception to this is in overpayments where the claimant has been convicted or has admitted to fraud, at which point the overpayment can be recovered at a maximum of £18.50 per week plus half the earned income disregard. However, the recovery amount may be reduced at the Local Authority's discretion if the claimant is suffering hardship.

text: The recovery amount from ongoing entitlement is affected by the amount of weekly normal entitlement. The minimum housing benefit that can be paid, regardless of overpayment recovery, is 50p per week. For example, if the entitlement is £7.50 and the overpayment recovery level is £9.90, the claimant will receive 50p every week until recovery is complete with £7.00 going towards the overpayment.

text: If the claimant is no longer entitled to housing benefit, the local authority can also send the claimant an invoice for the balance. If the claimant does not pay, the local authority has roughly the same legal means to recover it as other unsecured creditors, such as credit cards and utilities. Unlike council tax debts, the tenant cannot be put in prison for non-fraudulent overpayments. The Council does have the ability to use an accelerated county court process for the recovery of overpayments.

text: A council may also seek to recover Housing Benefit overpayments from other social security benefits or Housing Benefit payments made by other local authorities.

text: If the housing benefit was paid directly to the landlord, and the landlord is expected to have been aware of the overpayment (such as failure to disclose ineligible service charges, benefit exceeding the actual rent, and benefit paid past termination of tenancy or tenant's death), the local authority can hold the landlord liable for the overpayment either instead of or in addition to the claimant.

text: Housing Benefit overpayments may also be deducted from Housing Benefit paid to another tenant of the same landlord (blameless tenant recovery). The law requires that the landlord treats any deduction made against the innocent party as not having been made.

text: For council tenants, overpayments may only be posted to a rent account where the council is able to separately identify repayments of overpaid benefit to payments of rent. In practice, due to system design and internal procedures, local authorities generally post to Rent Accounts only at the end of a tenancy and or where there is a credit on the rent account.

text: Appeals[edit]

text: The Housing Benefit (Decision and Appeals) Regulations 2001 state that any 'person affected' by a relevant decision can ask the Council to revise its decision (Look at the decision again). It also states that a person affected can appeal against the decision of a Local Authority to an independent appeal tribunal (the First-tier Tribunal).

text: This means that every time a decision is made about Housing benefit, you must be sent a Decision notice, notifying you of the amount of Housing and Council Tax Benefit you have been awarded, if you have been overpaid/underpaid or if your benefit has been terminated. If you disagree with this decision you will have to appeal in writing within one calendar month of the decision, stating your reasons as to why you feel that your calculation has been decided incorrectly.

text: Relevant decision[edit]

text: A relevant decision is any matter concerning a claim for benefit, such as the amount of benefit payable, the rent eligible for benefit, the calculation of a claimant's income, or the calculation and recovery of an overpayment. Some decisions, mainly administrative, do not carry a right of appeal (such as an applicable amount or the amount of LHA). You will be notified if the matter you are disputing does not carry the right of appeal, but although these do not carry Appeal rights, they may be queried if the wrong rate was used (for example if one should be getting a disability premium or is over 25 and was restricted to the eligible rent for a room with shared facilities).

text: A request for a revision means that the Local Authority will look again at its decision regarding a claim for benefit and will make sure that it has been assessed correctly.

text: An appeal means that a Tribunal, independent of the Council and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), will consider the Council's decision. It is normally quicker to ask the Council to reconsider its decision than ask for an appeal.

text: "Person affected"[edit]

text: A person affected is :-

text:
A claimant
Someone acting on behalf of the claimant who is appointed by the Courts
Someone who the Council agrees is appointed to act on behalf of the claimant (An Appointee)
A landlord - but only in matters relating to whom payment of Benefit is to be made
An agent - but only in matters relating to whom payment of Benefit is to be made
Any person from whom it is determined an overpayment is to be recovered

text: This means that only the claimant can ask the Council to revise a decision concerning the calculation of a claimant's entitlement; and that the landlord or agent can only ask the Council to revise a decision about whether payment should be made to a landlord and whether the decision to recover an overpayment from a landlord or agent has been correctly made.

text: The law requires that where an overpayment has been appealed both the claimant and any alternative payee (normally the landlord) must have been notified of the decision and the appeal.

text: What someone who disagrees with the decision of the council should do[edit]

text: A person affected can query the Council decision and request further information (Statement of Reasons) about the decision. The Council must provide an explanation, detailing the legislation used to arrive at the decision. If after you receive your explanation you can appeal or request a revision of the Council's decision.

text: The affected person must write to the Council within one calendar month of the date on the decision letter. In the request for revision, the person affected must state reasons as to why the decision is wrong.

text: In exceptional circumstances, the council will extend the time limit for requesting a decision to be revised. The person affected must write to the council giving reasons for not requesting a revision at the appropriate time.

text: The council will not consider a later request for a revision where the request is made 13 months after the decision notice was first issued.

text: If the council notifies the person of the outcome of a request for a revision[edit]

text: After reconsidering its decision, the council will write to the person affected stating that the decision has been changed or that it will stay the same. The council may request further information from the person affected before it makes a final decision. The person must provide the information within one month of the request.

text: Statement of reasons[edit]

text: A person affected can ask the council to provide a written Statement of Reasons. The Statement of Reasons does not affect the right of an appeal. The statement will explain how the council reached its decision. The time taken for the Council to provide the statement may extend the time limit for requesting a revision or seeking an appeal to the Tribunal.

text: Asking the first-tier tribunal to look at the council's decision[edit]

text: A person affected by a decision may request that the first-tier tribunal decides on the case. This is requesting an Appeal. The request must be in writing and must be received by the council within one month of the date on the decision notification letter.

text: Where the person affected previously requested that the Council revise its decision, and has received a reply from the council regarding the request, the person has one month from the date the Council notified the outcome of the request to ask for the case to be considered by the first-tier tribunal.

text: In exceptional circumstances, the time limit for requesting an appeal can be extended. The person affected must write to the council giving grounds for not appealing at the appropriate time. A request for an extension of the time limit will not normally be considered if it is made 13 months after the notice of decision was issued. This matter is for the First-tier Tribunal to decide.

text: Attending the tribunal[edit]

text: The Lower Tier Tribunal Service will write to the appellant to tell them of the date, time and place of the hearing. The appellant has the right to ask for an oral hearing, which means that they can attend and put their case to the Judge.

text: In most cases, the Tribunal will consist of only one Judge who is a legally qualified person. The maximum panel size is three. If complicated financial matters are to be considered, a financially qualified Judge will also be present. The Clerk to the Tribunal and a representative of the Council may also be present.

text: If not happy with the tribunal's decision[edit]

text: If the council or the person affected feels that the decision of the Lower Appeal Tribunal is wrong in law, one may seek leave to appeal to the Upper Tribunal. The decision made by an Upper Tribunal is binding on both the Appellant and the Council. Decisions of the Upper Tribunal are made by Judges with specialist knowledge, of equivalent rank to a circuit judge. Recourse to challenge the decision further must be made through the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

text: Discretionary housing payments[edit]

text: Discretionary housing payments are available to those who need further help to meet their Housing costs. To be eligible to claim for a DHP you must qualify for Housing or Council Tax Benefit (at any rate). The funds for DHPs are cash limited. The DWP publishes how much is available to for DHP funding to Local Authorities each year.[20]

text: The Council may contribute an additional 2.5 times the amount awarded to the Local Authority by the DWP.

text: Payment of a DHP is dependent on Housing and Council Tax Benefit entitlement but it is not an award of Housing Benefit. A decision as to whether to award a DHP is entirely the discretion of a Local Authority.

text: When a discretionary housing payment may be made[edit]

text: A discretionary housing payment may be paid if the council believes that a claimant needs further assistance with housing costs. This may include help with paying off arrears or help with a deposit to secure the tenancy.

text: A discretionary housing payment cannot be paid if the reason for shortfall is that your benefit has been reduced to recover an overpayment.

text: Who can get a discretionary housing payment[edit]

text: A claimant must be entitled to a minimum of 1p per week Council Tax Benefit, or 50p per week Housing Benefit. Each council is given a pot of money and it is allowed to decide who should be given the payments. The maximum amount that can be awarded is the full eligible rent (a DHP can be used to dis-apply any rent restrictions) or Council Tax liability (after any discounts).

text: The fund may be used to minimise the impact of rent restrictions for Homeless referral cases or to prevent evictions. In general it is used to ensure that those who claim Housing Benefit do not suffer high levels of hardship.

text: The housing benefit department will usually take into account any special circumstances that contribute to your financial difficulties, for example, if:

text:
you have to pay legal costs
you have to pay child maintenance
you have extra heating costs because you are sick or have a disability
you have additional travel costs because you travel to a doctor or hospital or
you care for a relative or friend.

text: How to claim a DHP[edit]

text: You may request a dhp in writing but you will generally have to fill in a completely separate claim form and undergo a more extensive means test, that covers your outgoings as well as your income. The Council can however use existing information to decide on entitlement to a DHP where it has been given consent to do so, explicitly by its main claim form. It is rare for a Council to do this.

text: Information to be sent with the claim[edit]

text: One may be asked to give evidence of your expenditure (the money you have going out). This could be bills, receipts and or bank statements. One many also be asked to provide any information about circumstances that make things difficult financially.

text: Appealing a DHP decision[edit]

text: It is common practice for councils to use a Panel led by the Benefit Manager when reconsidering DHP refusals. Some Panels may include councillors or welfare rights groups. The Council will normally ask for reconsideration requests to be made in writing. If the Council does not change its mind, that refusal can only be challenged again if the decision making process that led to the refusal was wrong in law. To challenge a decision, an applicant would need to seek a judicial review.

text: As the fund is cash limited a Local Authority may agree to award a DHP in principle but may be unable to fund the award. This happens very rarely.

text: Changes to housing benefit in 2011[edit]

text: In the spending review of 20 October 2010 George Osborne announced a series of changes to housing benefit. From April 2011 claimants will only be able to claim a rent based on the 30th percentile of rent in their area (previously 50th percentile). The age at which most single people can claim for a self-contained one bedroom flat (rather than the shared room rate) was increased to 35 years. Exceptions to this apply to some groups, including care leavers aged under 22, some people who have a disability and over 25s who have spent at least three months living in hostel accommodation, subject to meeting further conditions.[21] The maximum payable under LHA was also set to £400 per week, or £20,800 per annum.[22]

text: These changes will mean significantly lower amounts of benefit will be paid, especially in Central London. Transitional protection will apply to existing claimants, their eligible rent will be reduced based on the anniversary date of when they first made their claim for benefit. The government has stated that the purpose of these reductions is to reduce the fiscal deficit and to increase the incentive for people to work. The reduction in benefits will mean that some families will have to leave their existing homes and find cheaper ones.

text: Families of people in work have been unable to pay their rent and have become homeless through the housing benefit freeze. The cost of maintaining these families in bed and breakfast accommodation is far higher than the cost of paying the families a higher rate of housing benefit would be. Roger Harding of Shelter stated, “We have grave concerns that the current freeze on housing benefit is pushing hundreds of thousands of private renters perilously close to breaking point at a time when homelessness is rising. For those hit by the freeze, housing benefit is failing to bridge the widening gap between escalating private rents and incomes that simply can’t keep up. (...) We’re calling on the government to abandon the freeze in the short term or risk making more people homeless. Ultimately, if the government wants to cut the welfare bill in the long term, they should concentrate their efforts on building genuinely affordable homes that low earners can actually afford.”[23]