Housing benefit query

[marlow]

I've been told of the website entitledto.com to calculate what you're entitled to regarding tax credits and more importantly in my situation housing benefit. I am basically lodging in a private house. The house owner also lives here with her 2 kids, and her sister has a room too. It's a privately rented place in her name only, no joint tenancy. Now entering all the details into the site AND into plenty of other benefit calculator sites too, it says she will get a good chunk of housing benefit, taking into account EVERYTHING, the hours she works, her tax credit allowance, declaring everyone who lives there and how much rent they pay. AND YET...she had a meeting with a councellor today who has pretty much told her she'll get bugger all!!! This now states that all these calculator websites are completely wrong and lying!! No claim has yet been processed so nothing has come back to say precisely what she's entitled to so I'm thinking this council woman has got a few rules wrong in her quick judgment, saying things like even though I'm there paying no rent, I don't get job seekers and I don't even work (yet), this still brings her benefit down yet the calculators say it puts her benefit up?!?! Any help please?

[davethorp]

The entitled to website is a rough estimate. HB calculations are tricky at best and seem to use some complex mathematical formulae that Pythagoras himself couldn't solve.

The simple answer is to sod what she was told and just apply anyway and see what happens

[marlow]

Ok thanks. I can only hope the process they use is a computer software one similar to that of the calculator sites themselves.

[Joa]

marlow; would you be able to keep us posted on the developments? I have used entitledto since its begining and whilst it is not 100% accurate, it's never that far from the reality if the details are entered correctly.
As davethorp says; apply anyway. The rule of thums should be: if unsure, always apply.

[marlow]

I understand that the sites can't be 100% accurate but we were told that with me being there she would hardly get anything compared to the site saying she'll get hundreds, so I think she's talking complete ****e. ...as they all do! Sure I'll post how things go. The house owner is currently in the process of getting together the 101 million things that the council require to process the claim. Some of it's a total joke man. I was claiming for stuff like this 10 years ago and it was pip squeek done in days...not anymore!