That's interesting. A credit card company that I have card for that I haven't been using for some time either (limit set way before the pandemic) sent me a letter to say they want to reduce my limit by about 40% if I didn't say anything. I asked if I wanted to increase it again if they did - would they give me the same limit - all they said was that I would have to wait 6 months before I could ask! Hmm... I doubt very much if they would agree to the same limit that took me a long time to get in the first place! So I said, No Thanks!

Thank you unclebularia67, I contacted my local Shelter but they said they didn't do help with housing benefit. Hmm, so the council can take forever it seems then - the gov a law unto themselves yet we have strict deadlines or we lose out if we fail to comply - no surprise there then! As for the MP - he is useless - he is a Con Party tool and has been of no help whatsoever in the past any time I contacted him

I applied for housing benefit some time ago and after much correspondence and my subsequent request 4 months ago for a decision notice, I am told to just await one with no time frame of when to expect one. How can I get the council to provide one? I am worried that they have just put my claim on hold indefinitely and I can't progress it to the tribunal stage yet if they refuse the claim as I haven't had a decision notice.

I think the 'time limit' is hidden and they state it is from the 'date of the letter' which is usually posted second class and arrives about 10 days after the 'date of the letter' so they give you little time to respond because their time limit is hidden and not made clear on the letter. However, I think, but this needs to be checked upon for further update - I saw that this deadline cannot be upheld and request for Mandatory Reconsideration can be considered for up to a year after the assessment - do check please but I do think that is the case

Make sure you go for a Mandatory Reconsideration ASAP. More than likely it will be refused but don't be disheartened at all as over 66% of those who go on to Tribunals are successful!! Don't give up! And you will get back paid your rightful payment!

This is typical DWP. They pester you every 6 months or less by letter or phone to try to get more money from you. Just tell them your circumstances have not changed but do contact them and then they will go away for another 5 months or so

Be aware that a recent FOI request showed that the DWP have a target of 80% of upholding the decision at Mandatory Decision stage. Yet at tribunals two thirds of claimants win their appeal. "It is my intention to ask for Mandatory Reconsideration and also to get the full copy of the Face to Face assessment. As I understand I have 30 days to tell the DWP this , is this just a phone call or by letter ?" nicurro you do not have 30 days, you have 30 days from the date of the letter which is usually sent out via very slow snail mail so it arrives around 10 days from the date of the letter!

Have a look at mysupermarket.co.uk to compare prices.

it is an assured shorthold tenancy

Hello stu007, Thanks for the reply - through the landlord. Tenancy started a couple or so years ago. Not sure of the Agreement type. Yes the landlord is aware and has been for some time about the leak problem and the reason that the person came to do the work on the bathroom, they engaged the tiler (errr, bodge jobber) to do the work (on a recommendation to them!). I have seen the work myself and it is truly shockingly badly done!! I have some photos but they don't show the horrendous work really well - my relative sent me some photos but I was gobsmacked when I saw it in real life! I have been told that the landlord was going to get someone else to do it a few weeks ago but nothing materialised. The landlord offered the £200 off the rent and they are shocked by this - considering they were actually helping the landlord (who is not in the UK) stop dreadful and very expensive work been carried out on their property!

A relative of mine, who is a private tenant, had a problem with a leak to the flat below from the bathroom. At the beginning of February the landlord got a person in who ripped all the tiles off all the walls, (a fully tiled to ceiling bathroom) dismantled the shower (that was a panel screen to the side of the bath) and took out the bathroom sink. In the process they cracked the cistern but that was replaced. The person proceeded to tile the bathroom without really investigating any leaks from what it looks like. They ripped chunks off the plaster underneath when they removed the tiles and proceeded to fill the holes with tile adhesive. They then put up the tiles with blobs of tile adhesive so that you can put your finger behind the tiles as they are on the wall! So there is about 25cm of gap/tile adhesive blobs sticking the tiles to the walls. They also tried to fill a hole with tissue paper. Previously the tiles were nearer to the wall and the door frame was a bit protruding above the tiles, but now they are not and are crooked in places. They informed the landlord and work was stopped. No further work has been done and there is no sign of anyone coming to fix the problem. The flat costs £1,500/month but they have only been offered £200 in total reduction in rent for 2 months of having no sink in the bathroom and no shower/unable to put things like toothbrushes/toiletries in the bathroom. Any suggestions and what are their rights and thoughts on the ridiculously small amount off the rent for such a long time of not being able to use the bathroom fully?

From my experience with my elderly relative being discharged from hospital (having been there for some months) and who looked awful arriving back, be prepared for a struggle when up against the NHS. My relative was re-admitted to hospital just 8 days later with acute renal failure. They did go on to survive another year or so and again I had battles with the NHS about the severity of the illness and CHC, it was still under review and I was still being told that they were not 'ill' enough to get it. Death eventually proved otherwise. I did submit a formal complaint about the discharge and got fobbed off. Also the CHC assessments were completely full of errors, I used a SAR to get records, and also full medical records and found lots of inconsistencies.

Can't wait!! Will be a great money earner for me --- my phone line is regularly faulty. Current one is ongoing since last July and they still can't find the fault.

I had a relative that died with a property in another country - the insurers in that country (that my relative had) wanted more money for very little cover. I was able to get a UK company to insure the property for much less and with good cover. As it took quite a while to settle the estate, upon renewal I got a different company for even less cost as I was not in so much of a hurry to find insurance. So there are companies out there that will do this sort of thing. I didn't need a solicitor to sort out the insurance and I wasn't even one of the executors!

Another update: I have been looking at details of the company in order to submit a LBA and then proceed quickly with a claim. However the matter has become clouded as is typical with car dealers/garages! The original body shop company was part of another company that was the repair side of a BMW dealership and has now been wound up. However I have a document which states it is a 3 year warranty for the original damage (the reason it had to be taken for repair) that was repaired and names a company that is still trading and has a signature on it and reference number. So I believe that this links the still trading company with the accident repair and the associated damage done. The garage is now adamant that because it was an aftermarket tow bar and not a BMW tow bar they have replaced the part that was damaged with a BMW part and couldn’t replace it with anything else. Also because they didn’t damage the tow bar that they are not responsible for that! To which I say ‘but the tow bar can’t be used now because of the panel that was fitted’ and they wash their hands of it and say it isn't their problem! I really want to get them for this as I am left with a car that will cost over £1000 of BMW tow bar to be fitted to rectify the problem. I can’t buy any other panel to fit the car as none is available to make the current aftermarket tow bar useable – I have spent a long time checking!