I didn't realise this was a debate forum.

I've known it be up to 3 months, but is usually quicker.

I got turned down for a cooker, not essential apparently. I wonder what is.

I add up the JSA plus rent plus the weekly amount of CTR (as apposed to the monthly amount quoted) to be £319 a week so below the benefit cap. As said, it all depends on the LHA as to how much HB he could receive. Craig, how much HB you can receive will depend on your age and needs. DHP can be applied for and is a discretionary payment awarded by your local authority to top up rent on top of HB awarded. Most local authorities only award a payment for a maximum of 6 months to allow a tenant to find somewhere cheaper that is below the LHA. There is only so much money in the DHP pot and it's up to the LA as to how it is allocated so there is no guarantee of success but is worth applying for.

I suspect Craig means the LHA rather than benefit cap, as in, his rent is higher than the LHA. Could be wrong, but that's what I assumed.

Housing benefit is available for anyone on a income related benefit such as JSA or ESA. Have you applied for HB? That would be the same amount whatever ir benefit you are on so there is no advantage on being on ESA than being on JSA.

Hi Craig, you set the ball rolling of offense by talking about a friend 'playing the system' and suggesting you wanted to do the same. Here, you will get advice about benefits you are entitled to, as apposed to how to play the system.

My last private rental incurred a renewal admin fee of £150 so £60 is quite cheap compared to others! They print out another form for you to sign and file it. Ask if they will let you go onto a rolling contract rather than a fixed term, which means that on the plus side, once you have paid this renewal fee you don't pay any more renewal fees but on the downside means that although you can give one months notice to leave at any time your landlord can give you two months notice to leave. However if the property was bought to let and you are good tenants then there is no reason you would be asked to leave so it is often the cheapest option. Some agencies refuse though, because these 'admin' fees every six months keep the business affluent or afloat so only use fixed term tenancies. Worth an ask.

Glad that got sorted

when I changed bank accounts they told me they couldn't action a phone request and it needed to be in writing so I had to send a letter. Admittedly that was 2 years ago so it might have changed.

I really do hope that you manage to get her to the ED service appointment tomorrow, that is far more important than anything else. If her BMI is less than 17.5 which it must be for an anorexia diagnosis, she really needs help sooner rather than later. If you are on an income related benefit such as ESA or JSA then you can claim the fare back. There are more fatalities with anorexia nervosa than any other mental illness.

I assume that they are suggesting that you are in a relationship with the person you are sharing accommodation with, whereas you are saying that you are purely friends? What evidence did they put forward at the IUC that there is such a relationship, apart from a facebook comment 4 years ago? They won't get far unless they have more evidence than that. Personally I would only tell the truth, so if I wasn't in a relationship with someone, then that is what I would say. Owning up to something whether you're guilty or not doesn't mean you would only repay any overpayment, prosecution is always a possibility even with a guilty plea.

A Government website says in 2011 sgo should be disregarded by the LA wrt HB and CTR https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/sites/www.cambridge.gov.uk/files/documents/foi/Dec2010/1240a.pdf Another website says the same http://kinshipcarers.co.uk/Financial-Support.php

It's not just the issue is what is a couple any longer. Housing benefit is provided for a commercial tenancy and once you are in a relationaship with the landlord, some LA's will say the tenancy is no longer commercial so you are not eligible for housing benefit. You can always appeal any decision, but that may be their standpoint.

I had to have ridiculous amount of scans including specialist ones measuring blood through the umbilical cord and in the end they said ds1 was growing regularly but would be small for dates. He was born weighing 8lbs 4oz. Admittedly he was 16 days late but even had he be born on time, he wouldn't have been small! On the contrary they were happy with dd and were shocked when she was born weighing 5lb 9oz. But she was fine too. So try not to worry.

I have known many people try to get DWP debt written off, but have yet to know anyone be successful. The DWP have in all cases claimed back the overpayment.

alpo, speaking for my own LA only, but from what I hear on the net and forums a lot of LA's are doing the same, they no longer house homeless people in their own properties. They have so many people who are homeless, if they offered them LA properties then no one on the queue would get housed ever and they don't feel that is fair. The medical panel only approves people who need housing to save their lives, literally, so someone with a major heart problem who cannot manage stairs, if they did they might have heart failure and die. What they usually do here for homeless people is they rent properties from people and then rent the properties out to the tenants. Some, usually families with young children, get housed in hostels, B&B, shared accommodation (shared kitchens/bathrooms), but families with older children or teenagers tend to go onto this rental scheme. The advantages of renting these privately owned properties through the council are, no rent is ever higher than the LHA so should always be affordable, no deposits are needed and only rent in advance as normal as with the council, and the council maintain the properties to a reasonable standards. But, the owner can end the tenancy after the initial 6 months with notice just like they could privately or through an agency. But if that happens, the LA should offer you alternative housing and do the same again. So, the process continues. I only say that because more and more LA's are not offering homeless people their own properties to rent, they are instead helping them source housing. Also here, no one is ever offered a secure tenancy, instead tenancies are for fixed periods after which a tenant will be reassessed as to whether they need that property (ie not under occupying) or no longer financially need to be in social housing LHA rates and can afford to be in the private rented system, after which they can be asked to leave and sort their own housing out. Security of housing is going to be a thing of the past and the people who are going to be most affected by this is people with MH issues. Wrt this, words fail me. Your homeless officer should give you full information on the policy of your LA and what you are likely to be offered and what you are likely to gain. Interesting about your deposit. That means your LL could come a real cropper in court, no wonder he doesn't want to take you there!

The DWP can ask for overpayments/debt at any stage afterwards. They can and do usually deduct payments from other payments you receive from them, often that can be from a state pension decades later. If the money is owed, then they will claim it back later. Does your partner think they owe the money from those dates? if not, then they will need to ask for a break down of how the alleged debt was accrued and ask them to evidence it. If your partner does think they owe the money, then I would make offer of payments at an affordable monthly level.

I was given notice to leave my last rental property and as it was my 3rd move in 2.5yrs due to no fault of mine I couldn't bear it any longer and registered as homeless with the LA for the 2nd time. They told me they would provide me with temporary accommodation but in recognition that I needed more security than normal would offer me LA owned temporary accommodation. But that would take time to find and organise and they told me to sit tight and wait for legal action by my present landlords to give them time to find us somewhere. Actually my landlords might have had problems in court had they got as far as taking me there as they never deposited my deposit in a set scheme and instead pocketed it themselves, so courts may well have awarded me 3 times the deposit had they got me there but that's another story. I only say because I totally empathise with the stress and upset at 'overstaying your welcome' beyond the date of the notice to leave. I had the owners banging on my door and sobbing at me most days with their children looking at me through the car windows outside, leaving me in tears inside and my children consolling me. It was awful. I continued to pay my rent as normal, though I deducted the deposit from my final months rent as I wasn't sure it would be returned to me as it wasn't in a scheme. I did leave the property immaculate. The council found me somewhere after a few weeks before any court action was started, but the stress of that time was awful. My advice though is to do as the council says, if someone needs more security than private rental often provides then stay put, ride out the discomfort and wait for any court action even after the property sells. Estelyn is absolutely right, make sure the current landlords know right now that you will not be vacating the property until court action is taken and then wait. It will be worth it. If the new owners know in advance that you will not be moving before any court action is taken then they will be prepared for that and can make their own decision about whether to proceed with the sale and if they do proceed then that proves they are either fine with renting to you OR they are prepared to take court action, so with full knowledge and communication now, the ball is in their court. A note though, LA temporary accommodation is a moveable feast too. The LA can move you on at any time if your circumstances change at all, the only difference is they have to offer you something else instead but as with each move you have costs such as moving, floor coverings/carpets etc, curtain rails, cookers etc. with the exception of the removal costs aren't normal expenses with private rentals, sometimes temporary accommodation with the LA that you get moved on from can often cost you more money wise though knowing they have a duty to house you is a security worth having imo.

Is the person you are living with, your partner? If you are in a relationship they need to declare this and be open and honest about it. What will happen then is your income will be assessed to decide what if any financial support you need. Given what you say it would be likely that you may receive some CTR at least. What is not an option is not to declare your relationship. Read the very many threads on here where such lies come back to bite you even years later.

Sanctions for people failing to meet their JSA agreement requirements is a very different thing to forcing people onto the work programme when it is voluntary however and I've yet to see any evidence of the latter.

Maggie, is DLA the only benefit you are claiming? What are you living on? ESA? Do you claim HB or CTR?

My own experience of this is not easy. I completed an application form with the help of a floating support worker for my dd. She had huge anxieties and social problems. She was turned down, and I went to tribunal with evidence from school/GP/CAMHS and failed. 2 months later I managed to get charity funding for her to go to an independent school for children with disabilities, there she was diagnosed with a severe receptive and expressive language disorder which places her on the autistic spectrum, it was evidenced how she 'hides' her non understanding but how her anxieties affect her. I made a new completely identical DLA application as I had 2 months earlier (as her symptoms and difficulties were identical as they always had been) but this time enclosed her speech and language report which gave her diagnosis. She was awarded LRC and LRM initially for 2 years and then 2 years later was awarded it indefinitely. So for me I got absolutely nowhere without the diagnosis, despite other professional evidence of her synmptoms. It makes me cross and frustrated actually, as her needs were identical and it shouldn't rest on an official diagnosis but unfortunately in the current system the diagnosis is often crucial.

I think it is the recovery of the overpayment (fraud) that is being deducted from the pension which is normal. However they seem to be taking an amount out that would not leave her enough to live on so seem to be assuming that either she is living as a couple with the man in her house which is a common assumption when you have previously had a child together, or that the income this tenant is providing is income and that in addition to what is left of the pension is enough to live on. If they are going on the basis of the first assumption you need to appeal that decision, otherwise it may well be a correct calculation. Sounds like you need some help finding out what is going on and how they came to their decision. Can you go to a different branch of the CAB who might be more helpful? Just to clarify this point? As said above, bankruptcy would not deal with this debt and you would still need to pay it back.

Loans are often taken as income for benefits purposes, even if they have to be paid back at a later date. Student loans being a case in point. The duty is to declare any income while claiming benefits, and it is up to the agency (LA or DWP) to decide whether that income affects your eligibility or not.