A one-month warning has been issued to thousands of households in receipt of Housing Benefit.

Thousands of people who receive Housing Benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), have weeks to take action or risk losing their benefits.

The warning has been issued to claimants who received a migration notice in June as part of the major process to shift people off certain benefits and onto Universal Credit.

The migration notice must be responded to promptly, with the DWP saying people have three months to claim Universal Credit from when they receive the notice or risk losing their benefit entitlements.

The deadline will be stated on your migration notice letter.

Most people on Housing Benefits will have received their letter in June, meaning their deadline will be some time in September.

The move may well have an impact on the amount of money those currently on legacy benefits receive, with some finding themselves better off and some finding themselves worse off.

However, top up payments will be available for eligible claimants whose payments are reduced as a result of the change.

The DWP guidance says: "On Universal Credit, most people will be entitled to the same amount they received from their previous benefits or more.

“If the amount you are entitled to on your existing benefits is more than you will get on Universal Credit, a top-up is available. This is called transitional protection.

"You can only get this top-up if you have received a Migration Notice letter from DWP and claim by the deadline date on your letter. If your circumstances change before you make your claim, this may affect the amount you get.

“You should claim as soon as possible to make sure the amount you are currently entitled to can be protected. Any transitional protection you receive as part of your Universal Credit claim may stop if you have a change in circumstances once you've made your claim."