i have received a letter from the DWP and after phoning found out that it was a social fund crisis loan debt from 2008 for around £700.

can they still chase this after so long??

i recently moved and are not now eligible for HB because of our lower rent, so i think for some reason it's now flagged on their system.

but the debt is so old and now they have sent a letter to my employer for a DEA.

any advice would be great.

now NOT eligible for housing benefit.....it won't let me edit my original post

I've edited the post for you.

Have you asked for proof of what you owe and the amount they say it is?

HB

I got one for about £108 last year, The debt they claimed was from 1981

They couldn't tell me what it was for, Only that i owed it and had to pay it

The following week it went direct out of my wages

they claimed on the phone it was many small social fund loans back in 2008.

Other people know more than I do, so please wait for more views, but I think it could be worth investigating this to make sure it's right

HB

cool, thanks

i'll get back to them on moday when their lines open again.

cool, thanks

 

i'll get back to them on moday when their lines open again.

The debt will be flagged up against National Insurance number, so you need to contact the Social Fund number to see what they have registered. At some stage someone from Social Fund has recorded a debt owing.

If you know nothing about ever having taken out such a crisis loan or any loan from a Government department, it could be a mistake e.g someone has typed in a wrong National Insurance number on a form at some point.

Government debts have no time limit.

no time limit...dammit.

but they did mention in their original letter about a debt collection agency?

no time limit...dammit.

 

but they did mention in their original letter about a debt collection agency?

Yes Goverment do use DCA's but the debt will be collected one way or another. I have seen cases reported online where Government is collecting a debt from over 20 years ago.

go do a free sar on the DWP website

put them to strict proof

thanks for all your help...i'll try the SAR.