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  1. I had my ESA stopped which is now pending an appeal, I have had to do a joint claim to claim UC, what a nightmare this has been. My original claim was from the the 23rd June and they have in therefore paid me four weeks instead of five, 23/06/17 - 22/07/17 that will be paid on 29/07/17. so in other words they are paying me four weeks but not paying me until the 5th week but not paying for the 5th week. As I have come straight over from ESA the seven day waiting period and as I understand it cannot be used by the DWP so why has a week been deducted and why if my claim started on the 23/06/17 and payable on 22/07/17 not reaching my account until a week later? Any help would be greatly appreciated, and as per norm why do they make the simple things not so simple,.
  2. Is anybody on Universal Credit and doing Postal Signing? You could do this on Job Seekers, but what about Universal Credit? Have been offered the phone option in regards to signing on, but the Work Coach wants full access to my Universal Job Match account, before authorizing it. The Work Coach says its not available for Universal Credit, but I would like see documenation stating this. Advice, and help would be great.
  3. I will be travelling abroad for 7-10 days and will be signing off, I am on old style JSA and want to avoid if possible making a fresh claim for UC and make a rapid reclaim for JSA instead upon my return. Would it not be the case that if I signed off from JSA for one week to go overseas then I would need to make a claim for housing benefit due to a change of circumstances to cover me for the period I am on zero income. So I make my housing benefit claim immediately after I close down my JSA claim. Therefore I cannot go on UC due to me awaiting a desicion for housing benefit ? If you've applied for other benefits You can’t get Universal Credit if you've applied for any of the following and you're waiting for a decision: Jobseeker’s Allowance Employment and Support Allowance Income Support Housing Benefit Child Tax Credit Working Tax Credit Thoughts ?
  4. Hello, I am due to move into my new flat on 11 December. I made an offer for it over three weeks ago, which was accepted by the landlord on 18 October (3 weeks ago). I then went successfully through reference checking and all that, and on 25 October (16 days ago) I made the payment for the first month of rent and the six-week deposit, plus various fees (in total circa £4500). The issue is that, as of today, the landlord has not yet signed the contract; the lettings agency say they are trying to get a hold of him but he is not returning their calls, the last time they spoke to him was "some time last week". they say they are sure he will sign eventually but cannot tell me when as they do not manage to speak to him. I am concerned that something may be going wrong on the landlord's side and that he may not sign at all in the end, otherwise I see no reason for such a huge delay. As my move-out date is approaching and the lettings agency keeps telling me that they can't do anything but insist calling him, I am getting more and more worried and am thinking of looking for alternative solutions, i.e. considering finding another flat. But as they have my deposit I feel my hands are untied, at least until either he signs or he pulls back from the agreement. The questions that I have are: 1) Does the landlord have an open-ended option to sign the lease whenever he wants, and possibly never sign? Can he basically keep me on hold until 11 December? Or is there such a thing as a "reasonable time" after which I can withdraw my offer without my incurring in any cost (i.e. I get everything back)? 2) Is the agency or the landlord to be considered liable for any of this? If I need to look for another flat, I will have again to take time off from work, go through the annoying and frustrating flat-hunting again, which I suspended because both of them agreed to signing a contract (as proved by offer acceptance letters, reference checking, deposit, etc.). I am trying to put some pressure to the agency but they are a bit helpless (and useless). Thanks, Daniele
  5. My JC is about to start electronic signing - they already have the little pads installed but are apparently undergoing 'problems' so it won't be operational anytime soon - no surprise there, then! According to what I've learned, as well as being proof that you attended, signing electronically automatically authorises the payment going through and the clerk doesn't have to do it manually. All well and good..until the damn thing goes wrong and there's no record of you having been there to sign on and your payment isn't put through. Even the advisers are worried about this happening and the mess it will create. I see no reason why they can't also retain the usual signing-on sheet as backup but maybe that's too easy. Yes, I'm being pessimistic but we all know what the DWP is like; if it can go wrong it will. We can't do much about it generating payments except to hope it works but make sure you get something in writing from the adviser to at least prove you attended. I always get them to sign and date my jobsearch, both to prove I attended and to stop them trying to raise any doubts after I've left. I distrust JC advisers and computer systems equally - cover yourself at all times!
  6. i have been dealing with housing options as well. this is about my landlord misleading me from the start with fraudulent tenancies. ie 1 making me pay a bond and months total £600 for my own tenancy in a two tenancy house 2 making me sign and witness the other tenants tenancy and £600 when, in actual fact, he had not paid a bond or months rent at all. i was told this three months later by the landlord in a recorded meeting 3 the landlord did not protect my bond and as a result of this, I am in a horrendous position 4 the landlord returned my bond 2 months after i paid it and then claimed that the tenancys signed were now actually a single shared tenancy 5 making me responsible for the other tenants debts 6 the landlord is now lying to the court in claims against me which i want to defend 7 he has mislead the court about arrears (that i was not in) etc etc housing options have applied for legal aid on my behalf. legal aid said i should apply for legal help but housing options applied for more legal aid and were granted full aid they say the notice the landlord gave me is wrong but they dont seem at all interested that the landlord commited fraud in the creation of the tenancies and the way i see it is that housing options are assisitng the landlord in misleading the court because if the tenancys were fraudulent, the landlord should be being investigated and housing options should be challenging the landlord about this and disclosing this to the court in the public interest. i believe when looking at the solicitors code of conduct, that fusion housing should be looking into this and not just seemingly trying to process me into alternative accomodation i asked fusion housing for a copy of the court bundle documents and have been told that i will need to make a data subject access request that will take 40 days to process if i want to see my own court documents. this is unhelpful as i am due in court on september 5th, in a couple of weeks. i would like to withdraw my permission for them to act for me and i would like to represent myself in court i need to make a notice of acting in person letter but am unfamiliar with the correct procedure to follow i understand the court can only allow me 40 or so days extra in the house. but really i want to defend the allegations the landlord is making against me. i have a solid defence fusion housing have said that i dont need to defend the landlords POC. as far as im concerned they are his particulars of claim and if i dont defend them i am allowing them to be on the court record. i really dont feel comfortable with the way this is bieng handled and the way housing options have seemingly taken over and are proceeding with my case i am alarmed to see that the solicitor is earning between £56 to £200 + an hour. i have no idea what they are doing with my file or what is happening i have asked to see my file and am now asking for a copy of the court documents. both are not forthcoming. any help or advice would be very much appreciated. housing options have applied for legal aid on my behalf. legal aid said i should apply for legal help but housing options applied for more legal aid and were granted full aid they say the notice the landlord gave me is wrong and that they will be representing me at court but they dont seem at all interested that the landlord commited fraud in the creation of the my tenancy. i find that alarming i understand the court can only allow me 40 or so days extra in the house and am desperately looking for alternative accomodation. fusion housing have said that i dont need to defend the landlords POC. as far as im concerned they are his particulars of claim and if i dont defend them i am allowing them to be on the court record. i really dont feel comfortable with the way this is bieng handled and the way housing options have seemingly taken over and are proceeding with my case i am alarmed to see that the solicitor is earning between £56 to £200 + an hour. i have no idea what they are doing with my file or what is happening i asked fusion housing for a copy of the court bundle documents and have been told that i will need to make a data subject access request that will take 40 days to process if i want to see my own court documents. this is unhelpful as i am due in court on september 5th, in a couple of weeks. can i do an acting in person letter to the court and charity and get some control back over my file? how many sets of wet signatures should there be when signing one contract? I am asking this because my landlord says there is only one contract attached to this house. when i signed my contract, i was lead to believe that the other tenant had a contract as well as me. both contracts were signed and witnessed. the landlord took them away to copy them i would have thought that if there was only one contract then there should be only one set of signatures there is something wrong here as there are now three copies of signed tenancies. each one has a different set of signatures. the landlord has them all but I have copies. I dont remember signing 3 contracts and my signature looks very odd in contract 3 ( which the landlord has submitted to court as the main contract) the reason i think there is something wrong here is because each one shows that a bond and months rent of £600 were paid at the signing of the tenancies and each one has been signed separately. it is clear to see as the signatures are not identical, so there were different tenancies that were signed does that mean these tenancies say there was 1800 paid to the landlord at the start of the tenancies or just £600? is this one tenancy or three? when i signed my tenancy, i paid £600.(bond and rent) the landlord now claims that there was one tenancy and that it is a joint tenancy when i signed my tenancy, the landlord and other tenant lead me to believe that he had paid £600 as well and i was asked to sign and witness his tenancy. i found out three months later that the other tenant had not paid anything at the start of the tenancys and i have been mislead from the start the landlord returned my bond after two months and did not protect it. when i gave it him back he tried to say he wasnt taking a bond and the £300 he took back was for the other tenants rent but later changed his mind i believe at that point the tenancys were changed and bonds altered , i became liable for the other tenants debts the other tenant had lived here for a few years before i moved in there was already a bond on the house when i moved in. the old bond was then repaid to the tenant after i moved in even though the tenant was in arrears and there were outstanding repairs when i moved in. when i signed and witnessed the new tenancys the tenant did not pay a bond or months rent but i was lead to believe he had by both of them because they had filled the tenancys to show he had paid £600. in reality, the other tenant was in debt at the start of the new tenancys and they had both lied to me now the landlord says it was just one tenancy and we are joint tenants and he wants his house back if it really was one tenancy why are there so many versions and why was i the only one who paid anything? i feel i was used from the start to get the old bond returned to the old tenant so that the landlord could get him out. the old tenant is heavily in debt and has made no attempt to pay rent or bills. the landlord has allowed this to happen and made no attempt to rectify this. i have been paying my rent and was paying the bills ( his debts!) although i cant access data about the accounts. the bills were in the other tenants name before i moved in. the landlord didnt change this. i believe there were already debts before i moved in and this is why they stayed in the old tenants name. the landlord has been free to manipulate all this and i am finding it difficult to get help or advice regarding the validity of the signed contract or contracts and i am confused as to where i stand. i realise the landlord can ask for his house back at any time but i think the way this has been done is very wrong. i would never have left my old home to be on a joint tenancy anyway and especially with someone who was already in debt i have repeatedly tried to discuss the tenancy, rent, bills and bond with the landlord. i started recording the visits. the landlord was doing monthly inspections and coming without notice. i was being bullied by them both. here is an extract of a recording of a visit without notice from the landlord where the bond was discussed. when the landlord gave me the £300 bond back in january, i gave it straight back to him. he took the money away but did not leave a reciept. I paid my rent into the bank a few days later. (AA is the landlord, AR is me.) ....... AA this is what I'm gonna do right, this is what I think should happen, yeah? So this £250, right, that you already put in and this £50 AR £300 AA is £300 right. By all rights yeah That money is next months money for you, yeah AR or my bond AA I'm not taking a bond. I cant take a bond right. You have a month or two months I think under the - that's why within two months I came to see you before the end of two months AR two months? You've 14 days to pay the bond in AA right so AR to the bond bank, but you didn't tell me for two months AA. yeah so it didn't happen. Yeah AR I could have got somewhere else AA yeah so it didn't happen, right but just hear me out here yeah? Look, I couldn't put it into the bond account because Mark, yeah ? Rightly or wrongfully, wrongfully, he didn't give me the money yeah? So that's why I said, sod it, give it back. There you go yeah? So the bond is, is, forget the bond, I'm not taking a bond off ya. like I says to ya, here, you know, foolish me or whatever, but, you know, I think that's my perogative" here is another extract regarding the bond .......... AR ...so had that tenancy ended then? AA it abso.., yes it ended, yeah. That's why you signed a new tenancy agreement with Mark AR Right, but why did only me have to pay a bond? AA right so you both had to pay a bond but unfortunately Mark was in rent arrears and he didn't have no money to, to, to kind of pay the rent or the bond money so that's when, remember when you? We, we, we took down, you gave me half of the bond money and to which later on I, I, I just gave that back to you because obviously it was quite clear Mark didn't have the money to pay the bond money so we gave that back" I feel that they have both really taken advantage of me and the whole thing about the tenancys and bonds is causing me great distress. I am trying to fully grasp what is/has happened here and how it will affect me.
  7. Hello, Sorry, I really tried to keep the description as short as possible: On 03/03/2016 we called some conservatory companies in Devon and finally made appointments with two of them for the next day for a viewing. In the afternoon we sent them a floor plan with detailed measurements and other information about what exactly we wanted. BTW We had even searched the web for reviews about the companies and found nothing negative - just one positive review. On 04/03 an employee of the first company arrived in good time, and we noticed he had the document (which we had emailed the day before) printed out and ready for discussion! Because the negotiated price was acceptable (£8,060), and because he confirmed that they could complete the conservatory within a month, we decided to enter into a contract immediately. In the contract was stated: "Installation date: 18/03/16, 09.00" As advance payment 1/4 = £2,015 had been agreed: On 04/03 we paid £2,015 by bank transfer. On the same day another employee arrived to carry out a survey (as specified in the contract). He examined the house, took measurements and discussed with us and wrote down the exact positions for the doors, opening windows, roof connection etc.. We mentioned that we had already paid the advance, and he said the required parts would be ordered IMMEDIATELY! 17/03: Since we hadn't heard anything from the company, we sent an email and asked if they had received our advance payment and also asked them to confirm that the works would start on the next day as provided in the contract. No answer. On 18/03 we waited at home the whole morning, but in vain. No one came. No information. We called them after lunch: the secretary said she would talk to the builder responsible for the groundworks. On the same day we were informed that the builder would begin on 22/03, 9.00am. On 22/03 no one came, but the builder called us to tell us he would come one day later, 23/03, 1.00pm. On 23/03 he came, examined the ground, and asked us additional questions regarding the groundworks. Since it is a hillside situation, he recommended insistently to build an additional retaining wall (the rain would wash the garden down to the conservatory), cost around £2,000 (making it much more expensive than other offers we had received before signing the contract with this company). He seemed to be a skilled and competent builder, and to avoid further delays, we agreed in principle and asked to calculate the exact additional costs and inform us asap. We asked when the groundworks will begin finally, but he could not give us a concrete date. On 24/03 we sent another email to the company to declare in writing what had happened so far. We wrote that because early installation was VERY IMPORTANT to us, we were happy that they could offer us that early installation date (18/03). This was the MAIN REASON we decided in favour of their company, cancelled another appointment we had later on 04/03, signed the contract, and immediately paid the advance - just to avoid any delay. We asked them to inform us immediately in writing about when the works would begin and what exactly the extra costs for the additional work (retaining wall) would be. 29/03: Since they hadn't answered, we sent another email in the morning. We reminded them that during our initial discussion on 04/03, before signing the contract, it had been confirmed that the project could be carried out within a month, so we already made plans for the time after the installation. We stated again, that we really needed the additional space, provided by the conservatory, as soon as possible. 30/03: Since there was no reply, we sent another email, stating that it's urgent. Then the secretary called us and said she would send us an email regarding the starting date. 01/04: Again, nothing happened. We sent another email: we asked what had happened in the meantime and why there were further delays. We reminded them that we were waiting for 9 days now to get an answer regarding the costs for the additional works. 06/04: After many many attempt we finally got the manager on the phone. He told us that the groundworks will be carried out "next week". We were very relieved about that. He said he would call us back to tell us the exact date. He didn't. 07/04: We sent another email in the evening: We wrote that we tried to call him several times during the day, but in vain. Furthermore we reminded him, that we would also need to know what would be the costs*for the additional works. 08/04: The secretary called and informed us that a skip will be delivered on 13/04. We asked again, if they would already know what the additional costs would be. She just answered "not much". On 13/04, as announced, a ridiculously small skip arrived, and one worker, without any machines, dug out some earth and moved it into the skip. A day went by, but this method was not suitable to make progress. On 14/04 the employee who visited us on 04/03 for signing the contract came again to let us sign an additional contract about £2,000 for the extra works, and we were asked to pay this in advance, because more work needs to be done, so they would need more money in advance for material and the builder: On 14/04 we paid £2,000 by bank transfer. On the same day or a few days later, a larger skip had been delivered, the required machines and an excavator arrived, and intense working finally began. Great! (we thought) On 28/04 a lot of work had already been accomplished, The manager visited us and tried to persuade us to accept that the project would cost another £1,600 (!!) more. He admitted it had taken a bit (!) longer, but he had selected "quality workers" in order to get the job done as good as possible. (Later it turned out that this builder and his men had been commissioned by him for the first time - he never knew them before!) We reminded him that we have a contract plus the additional costs of the second contract, and that we can't pay more than was agreed in these two contracts (all together £10,160). He accepted our objection, but asked us politely to pay another £2,000 in advance + £100 which we had agreed with the builder for a minor modification of the retaining wall, so that he could speed up the remaining works: On 28/04 we paid £2,100 by bank transfer. Until 05/05 (with some interruptions of several days) the builder had completed the groundworks and brickwalls, however there is still some work left for him to do, which he can't do before the other conservatory parts will be built up. That is the reason why material, some debris and the last skip (which has already ruined the lawn in front of the house in the meantime) had been left here at the construction site. (BTW: It turned out that the ground is solid ROCK, so the wall wouldn't have been required - according to horticultural advice it could also have been fixed with cheap retaining wire netting!) On 06/05 the manager called us and asked us to pay another £2,000. He said he had to pay bills for many skips, pay the builder and buy further material. Again, he said this would speed up the completion. Because it was already more than a month after the expected completion date, and we really wanted this project to be finished as soon as possible, we accepted his request: On 06/05 we paid £2,000 by bank transfer. On 09/05 the employee who took measurements on 04/03 came once again for more detailed measurements.
On the same day we sent an email and asked if the works would continue the next day. No answer. On 11/05 we tried to reach someone of the company on their various phone numbers. We could only reach the employee who visited us for signing the contracts. We asked him when the works would continue. He said in about a week.
Later we could also reach the manager via phone, and he claimed that the groundwork would require 2 weeks to stabilise! According to this we would have to wait until 23/05. (Later the builder confirmed that this isn't true at all!) On 23/05, we stayed at home and waited for the work to continue - again, in vain. We tried to reach the manager via phone, but in vain. Again, we could only reach the employee who visited us for signing the contracts. He assured he would contact the manager and call us back. He never did. On 24/05, again, we stayed at home and waited - again, in vain. We tried to reach anyone by phone. Since no one answered, we sent another email. No answer. On 25/05 we could reach the employee who took measurements. He informed the manager who finally let his secretary call us back. She said, the problem would be that the "roof takes longer to arrive"; estimated day of arrival: 31/05. On 26/05 the builder visited us privately on his own initiative and informed us that he hadn't received any money from the manager, though it was him who did all the work until 05/05. He warned us NOT TO PAY any more money in advance (what we hadn't done anyway). He said, the remaining work could be done within three days. It would NOT have been required to wait to let the groundwork stabilise! For many days we tried to contact the manager, but we had only been cajoled and put off by a new, young employee whom we had never known before. On 07/06 we reached the manager by phone! He said he would call us back soon or confirm via email to guarantee that the works will be completed from 14/06. On 08/06 in the morning he called and offered to complete the conservatory from 21/06 (about another two weeks later!).
Since we still wanted to get the earlier date (14/06), we sent another email reminding him what he had said the day before. We also tried to call him again, but there was just his answering machine! We sent another email in the late evening and asked for a confirmation for 14//06 again. On 09/06 we could reach him by phone in the morning. What he had suggested, he had also confirmed by email in the morning:
"Further to our telephone conversation this morning, I have been speaking to our manufacturers about a possible earlier delivery for your conservatory roof. As I explained in the telephone conversation, they will need a payment upfront to prioritise the roof which could lead to a delivery to us on the 13/06. We will need to payment of £1500 for the roof to get this prioritised and allow us to complete the conservatory sooner. I also would like to confirm that I have offered you a discount [£500] on the total left outstanding which I have taken off the contract."
We answered via email, that we had believed him that the 3 additional payments he had already asked for (£2,000 + £2,100 + £2,000) would speed up the conservatory works, and we had always paid! Nevertheless the project had been delayed by months, which caused many serious problems and financial loss for our family. At this point we couldn't take an additional financial risk. We suggested to arrange the delivery of the roof (direct to us) and the payment direct with the manufacturer. We wrote we would also pay the rest (£2,045 minus price of roof) after completion and that we won't make use of the offered £500 discount.
When we came back home we noticed that the manager had tried to call us back (caller ID), but he hadn't left a message. We sent him another email, that we had noticed that he wanted to call us, and that we wouldn't want further phone calls, but a WRITTEN answer in this case.
We waited the rest of the day for his reply, but again in vain. We sent another friendly email later in the evening and asked him to answer. On 10/06 we waited until the evening and then wrote another email:
Because he hadn't replied to our suggestion regarding the payment of the roof, we decided to accept his previous offer (which he made via phone on 08/06) to complete the conservatory from 21/06. Because in this case a prioritised delivery of the roof*wouldn't be required, we would pay the remaining £2,045 after completion. We asked him to confirm this in writing until 14/06. He didn't reply. On 14/06 we sent him a "Reminder with fixing of a period of time" As time limit for completing the remaining works we allowed 2 MORE WEEKS, until 28/06 (included). We had sent this as emails and as RM Signed for letter. On 06/07 the letter came back (undeliverable and not collected from the PO). In the meantime we found two extremely negative reviews on Google about him - unfortunately posted after we had signed the initial contract. The other customers got their work done, but with immense delays, and without obtaining promised discounts. We know we made mistakes: We waited too long. We paid too much in advance. Nevertheless, what can we do to get this solved? Offer him a bit more money? (Sometimes paying a bit more is better than fighting longer.) Go to a solicitor? Trading standards? We really need a fast solution now. Our nerves are on edge... Many thanks!
  8. I wanted to know what the new rules are with regards to withdrawing consent for the WP to share your info/contact people on your behalf/claim their fat payment for my hard work when I get a job .. as I am sure I read it had changed since last year, also coincidentally each time I attend a review meeting I get loads of spammy job/credit emails in the weeks after which seems a little timely!! Am getting increasingly fed up with the WP provider, by and large I have had a year of having to attend weekly job clubs with slow computers and the like but since I hit the year mark it seems to have ramped up big time, I have a good work history with good companies and a degree and the minute my latest advisor saw it his eyes lit up and I have been pestered left right and centre. I was upped to two job clubs a week and also appointments/training sessions/interview techniques etc on one or more additional days a week and it was getting silly and made me ill so I had two weeks off with stress symptoms. I then had more blinking appointments and changes to my job clubs and was told a few weeks back at 1pm on a Monday that I was to stay after job club that day for extra sessions looking into agencies and applying for more jobs for 2 hours each day that week (mysteriously my letter had 'got lost in the post' telling me this), I kicked up a bit of a stink as I am a single parent and said I had to pick my son up from school at 3 so those times were unsuitable, so with a bit of looking at bus timetables he relented to sessions from 1-2.30 each afternoon that week which was still pushing it as am reliant on public transport which is never the best, I attended the first and then had enough, got upset (I am on antidepressants and suffering severe anxiety at the moment relating to a thyroid condition I have just been diagnosed with) and I decided to get another doctors note for 2 weeks. During this two weeks I had a letter from them saying I had to come in during that time and I politely told him NO, the day my sick period ended there arrived a letter saying I had to attend a review appointment in 2 days time and I just knew he was going to mess me about, sure enough on the Friday afternoon at the appt he says I need to up my attendance to daily sessions of 4 hours, which means dropping my son at school, a 45 min bus journey there, then getting back in just enough time to pick him up, I protested that I had a PC at home and why did I need to do all this on their premises and he said I might 'get distracted' at home (as opposed to their noisy office of course!!), that I had appts to arrange and so on which were being neglected due to them calling me in all the time willy nilly saying they are mandatory and have to attend, and he said as I was a jobseeker I should jobseek during those hours, I have no prob doing this, my JSA agreement says 5 jobs a week and they say 10 which I do easily and have never not done, he is also pressurising me to do full time work/get a better off calculation for FT work, which my JSA flexibilities say I don't have to pursue due to being a lone parent, there is no mention of any beneficial training, and any suggestions for that or clothing for interviews have been shot down in flames, its just flaming jobsearching in their offices every day, presumably so I can't attend any interviews without them knowing and that I get fed up with the arrangement. Its not as if I am not trying to get a job, I have had about 6 interviews in the last few months but none successful, am really fed up with the situation with the WP and its making me feel worse, we are reviewing the situation tomorrow after my session and I know he is prob going to suggest the same again next week when I have 2 inset days at my sons school, I really just resent the fact that they think they can pressure me like this and assume I have no plans for the week or anything else to do, and then get a nice big payment for MY efforts at the end of it all so want to know what my rights are, unfortunately at the beginning I signed all their docs as I was being too blinking nice!! PS. Sorry this is a bit of a rant having looked at it, but felt good to vent!!
  9. I hear ur stage get reset stage 1 if don't sign on for 6 months. I was on a work intense programme, for 3 weeks before I got a a job. . Job is ended I do not mind scraping through until March. I was on jsa now it says I will be on UC. Who knows? I give them! Does it reset if signing! on to UC or will it stay there I be on a work intense program working unpaid for 4 months if I go on. I was at job centre All day for 4 weeks I do not mind. . I hear u start a fresh but I do not think. Job centre may be giving me balonies. Thx
  10. Hello. I am currently getting income based JSA for about 1 year now. I stay with my mum, But all of a sudden my mum is saying i need to pay £27 towards to rent as the council will only pay £109. So why now do i need to pay. I have a brother who gets ESA, and my mum gets income support. What are causing the housing benefit deduction, My brother only started claiming ESA this year in march, And all of a sudden the housing benefit is cut. So could someone help me because i am getting the impression the cut is because of me but i have been getting jsa for around a year and my mum has been getting full housing benefit since untill now.
  11. Excellent FOI question asking about electronic signing pads and an equally informative reply from the DWP FOI Team. Download it and use it when you're asked to sign electronically. My only concern about signing electronically is worrying whether it has actually triggered the payment successfully - I'd still prefer to have the clerk put my money through while I'm sat there to see it. Question and response can be found here: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/requirement_to_give_biometric_si#comment-59764 Basically, we do not have to use the electronic signing pad; they can only 'encourage' us. No sanction can be applied for refusal to use it. You can bet that the advisers will not mention this to you. Interesting to note that not only does the pad record your signature, it also measures the angle of the pen, pressure of the writing and speed too. Big Brother knows no limitations, does it. Another request was for all signing pad guidance issued to advisers, that can be found here:) https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/electronic_signing_pad_guidance Had a quick read through - most interesting. If your signatures don't match after 3 tries for any reason, they're going to want to know why AND expect you to provide more ID like driving licence etc. Also there is NO mention of electronic signing not being compulsory (did we really expect there would be!). Even the sample letter they give telling you all about it makes no mention that it's optional.
  12. hi, i rent a room in one town (near my works and children) and my partner (not the mother of my children) rents a house in the next town, she is signed off sick and has a daughter. i cant move in to her home as she is being evicted as landlord is selling up, section 21 ends in september and her local council are not helping much they just say she will have to rent another private which isnt easy since she isnt working and on sick benefits due to ongoing heart issues for which she is having open heart surgery for very soon. i work full time but cant have her and her daughter live with me as i rent a room in a house to keep costs down so i can pay for my children and not go via csa. i have already registered for housing with local council in my town but of course can only apply for a 1 bed place due to it being just me. i have now filled in a change of circumstances form and added my partner as we were thinking of moving in together in the new year (have been with each other for several years so not a rushed thing) with all that is happening her end i dont know what to do as she is going to need me with her full time during and after surgery. have i done the correct thing adding her via the change of circumstances form with my local council? as i hope they will help us get a place together and soon due to her condition . we did not want to move in under these circumstances but i need to be there for her full time. since we are both living in different towns i am just wondering what the best thing to do or push for. a very odd situation and any pointers would be great as i am worried about her condition and the stress of all this being evicted is having on her but also wanting to get help with a council home not private rent as i cant afford to keep both of us on private rent rates. thanks.
  13. Hi there, I've been on the Work Program for about a month, they're useless, but it's something I can put up with. For reference I only claim standard JSA. But that said, I've been sent (via post) of an action that I never actually made any formal agreement to. So I wonder, are WP providers legally able to make applications to anything (job fairs, training courses, or even actual jobs) without discussing them with you and without you agreeing to it? And what would be the best course of action to challenge (or prevent) any of these that possibly come up in the future? Cheers -slargfish
  14. Iv got a personnel reason that means i need to sign off JSA for a short period of time.A family friend who lives abroad is ill and i will proberly have to over there. Can i sign back on at any time after i sign off or do i have to wait a certain amount of time E.G 3 months? Can i also sign off by phone or do i have to visit my local jobcentre. Im also on the Work Programme.Would i have to notify them as well?
  15. Hi, Sorry a quick question. My jobcentre has introduced electronic signing and on my next signing day (Tuesday), I need to take in ID and provide six signatures. On my last signing day I was given the copy of the letter, only valid ID I have is my debit card which I have my benefits paid into. However I was told by the person signing me that a copy of both sides of my debit card will be made and kept on file. Does this have to happen? Obviously I am concerned that any copies could get into the wrong hands. The old chestnut of needing to use Universal Jobmatch otherwise payment won't be released was also mentioned. I have been issued a paper book for this fortnight but was told no payment could be recieved if my jobsearch can not be verified digitally. Thanks for the help
  16. I have had a similar experience at edinburgh high riggs, but this is more complex. On the 8th dec 2014 i was asked by a security guard to take down the hood from my hooded top. I did but pointed out it was winter and a number of people were wearing hooded jackets and hats who were already in the building. The security guard insisted it was hoodies in particular. On the 16th of feb 2015 I go sign on again, this time a different security gaurd tells me I can not wear a hooded jacket; i tell him of my last experience, but this makes no difference. On entering the building i noticed an older man wearing a baseball cap so file a complaint. It is apparent that it is not the item of clothing you are wearing, but the demography of the population that the security gaurd decides yo fit into. I am a guy in his 30s, i tend to wear hoods in scotland not because I want to be affiliated with the hoody culture, but cause its cold here. I found the treatment humiliating and giving people preferential treatment like this is surely illegal
  17. I gather its for 13 weeks, at least thats what ive been told. What happens when it finishes? Back to the fortnightly or do they have something more insidious lined up?
  18. Hi guys, I' really pleased I've landed a part time job, it's only 9hrs a week at the moment but weekends so I get a bit of bonus pay. It's better than nothing! I want to sign off JSA now it's been way too long. I'll lose a little money each week (I'll be earning near to jsa but not the same amount) but I really don't mind, i'm so glad I have to option to now sign off! I was wondering though, how do I go about dealing with rent benefit? obviously i'll still need to continue claiming that until I get more hours, what do you have to show the council / ask for when you tell them you are in part time work? Do you have to tell them you've signed on JSA and fill in a form or something of hours worked / income? Thankyou all!
  19. Hi all I was given a letter letting me know that from next time i sign, the Jobcentre is introducing an Electronic Signing System. It says next time i sign i will need to provide six signatures on an Electronic Signing Pad and one proof of ID. After this i will only need to provide a signature for fortnightly or weekly jobsearch review appointments. Also as my partner works part time they no longer do the B7 forms, its electronic now. just letting everybody know what to expect.
  20. I may be able to enrol on a full time college course next week, and so will be signing off JSA. My sign on day is Thursday and my last sign on was last Thursday. If I've signed off before signing on again, will I get a week's worth of JSA paid or nothing? Many thanks.
  21. Hi, I have recently moved into a new room with a private landlady. I paid the deposit on 11/9/14 via bank transfer as this would also hold the room. She acknowledged this via text and confirmed the room was mine and said she would send a tenancy agreement to my old address. I have now moved into the new place but have still not received anything after several texts requesting and her saying she would send. I have read that a written tenancy agreement does not have to be in place, but obviously I want one as was promised. Also I am unsure of where I stand in regards to TDS. I have read different information about this. The sticky at the top of the page says I need confirmation of this within 14 days, but another website says 30 days from the payment of deposit but only if a tenancy agreement is signed. Can somewhere advise where I stand if the landlady just never sends me a tenancy agreement, b) what date I should receive confirmation that my deposit was paid into a TDS., and c) if i don't sign a tenancy agreement is it correct the deposit doesn't need to go into a TDS. Thanks
  22. My friend decided to take over her ex-boss' small business after her boss retired - rather than face losing her job. She has borrowed heavily to do this. Unfortunately, she is a very naive and trusting person and did not realise that people would be trying to exploit her. She let "a very nice saleswoman who was so helpful and understanding" talk her into signing a contract to provide her with a service that was going to help my friend make money. My friend signed a contract after this saleswoman explained the contract to my friend thoroughly. My friend also provided her bank details. Then, a lot more money started going out of my friend's account than she expected and the service is not making her any money. When she rang the company to ask them to explain, they told her that the saleswoman no longer worked for them. They did send my friend a credit note for some of her money but, her account has not been credited for any amount, at all. I looked at the contract and it is definitely NOT what my friend was told it was. It is a hire agreement and ties my friend to the contract for a "fixed period" of over 3 years and will cost her thousands of pounds. The contract also mentions several different clauses that are not included with the page my friend signed - so we both have no idea what else is included. Instead, this "agreement" threatens my friend with interest charges, extra costs, repossession and losing her credit worthiness if she does not continue to pay up. My friend is absolutely terrified of losing her good credit history. Yet they have access to take whatever money they want from her account. I have tried Googling the company to find out more about them and they do not have a nice reputation for dealing with dissatisfied customers. Also, the company is currently in Administration. How can my friend get out of this contract? She trusted the saleswoman and felt that it would have been rude to stop and read the contract before-hand!!! Also, is this company allowed to make long-term contracts whilst in Administration? Please help. My friend is currently losing money and this contract is not helping her at all.
  23. Hi there. My son and his partner are joint claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. I hope someone who has Jobcentre experience can help me out. We have a two part question - first part is relating to appointment scheduling, and the second is about funding for training. I'll stick to the question about scheduling in this post. Their normal signing day is on a Tuesday in the a.m. However, at their last appointment 2 weeks ago, their Jobcentre adviser told them that he was going to be absent from their next scheduled fortnightly appointment due to a training course he had to attend. So, he said the next appointment would be scheduled for the following Friday. He wrote in both of their "My Work Plan" booklets, on the appointment timetable, that their appointment was set for Friday 25/07/2014 at 09:00 and signed his name. Fast forward to today 23/07/2014 and my son telephoned their adviser directly to speak about funding for a training course. Adviser said he was "just about to call" himself as my son and his partner had missed their Tuesday signing appointment. Son explained what he had told them, and also what he wrote in their work booklets, at their last Jobcentre appointment. First of all, the adviser did not comment on this. He simply stated "You should have come in on Tuesday. You need to sign every 2 weeks." My son kept his cool and repeated why they had not attended. The JC adviser then sounded a bit flustered and gave two "sorry"s in the middle of a garbled sentence about their being some confusion. He then asked if my Son & partner could attend later today - they confirmed this was convenient and attended. At the appointment, adviser said "they have some paperwork to do. But not to worry - it's for me, not you!". He clicked onto a screen on his monitor and then posed the question to them "Why did you fail to attend your last Jobcentre appointment?" then paused for a verbal response from son. Again, son repeated what he had just explained on the telephone. He also directed the adviser to the page in their booklet with Friday's date/time and his signature. Adviser then typed a paragraph or two summing up what had happened. The title of the screen on his computer was something akin to "Give the reason why you failed to attend your last appointment". At this point, son asked adviser if this could negatively impact their claim for JSA? Adviser said (cheerfully) "Very possibly!" and that after he had typed this up, it would be sent to a decision maker and it was now out of his hands! Son then asked, given that the Jobcentre now informs them that they should have attended on Tuesday, should they also attend Friday's scheduled appointment? Adviser laughed and said no, "we wouldn't make you come twice in a week!". What should we think about this? Adviser said the decision should be made soon and we would hear back reasonably quickly. It's totally unfair and it seems like constructive dismissal to me. Any advise would be very gratefully received as we would like to get a head-start in case of a sanction.
  24. hello hope some one can help me. as of monday just gone was told that i had to attend the jobcentre daily at different times to do a job search now been told this i had to go back to the JC the next day for 1:35 which then i was made to sign and was told since i had been up yesterday which was monday that he was going to do job search next time i come up. so after leaving the JC he forgot to give the new time which was for 1:00 for the following day when i got there he told me that and that it was his fault since he didn't tell me then was made to sign and no job search again. he gave me a new time for 9:35. to me they either can't be bothered to do the job search to help me find work or there just find it funny me turning up just to sign a bit of paper and give excuses. i do my job searching at home since i have my own computer and internet with a job match account and can't really see how making me go each day is making any difference especially when they have done nothing to help. also can someone tell me if the distance from JC is too long that they can't expect you to go each day as i live 3.0 miles away. had some information that if you live within 2 miles then they can make you go each day and if 2-4 miles then they have to make to twice a week. just what i read up on the internet. thanks in advance.
  25. Hi guys, Quick question, currently I'm attending MWA for 4 weeks and I've done about a week, I'm going to be signing off soon for a little bit because I'm moving back home. What is the process for signing off? can you ring them and tell them you wish to sign off? what happens to my placement I assume I no longer have to attend do I ring my placement provider and tell them I've signed off as well? what happens to housing benefit if you sign off? Just want to ensure I'm still paid my last months and a bit of rent, I know the job centre tell them you have a change in circumstances but I will wish to keep my claim open for now and close it later so I guess I just have to tell them I still have no income and provide proof of that? Thanks.
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