Greedy council

[Jimmy1982]

Hi everyone. I am posting this on behalf of a friend who has an issue with her rent. She is a full time student and was receiving full housing benefit of £66.49 per week. But 8 months into her course the council have sent her a letter stating that her student bursary had been wrongly assessed over 52 weeks instead of 26 weeks and her housing benefit award had been revised.

She was told that her benefit was coming down from £66.49 to £19.11 with immediate effect and she would have to fork out the rest despite studying full time and therefore not being in work, and being a single parent of two children.

She has already budgeted her money for Christmas and she has a number of essential outgoings so she has contacted them to ask if she could pay a slightly reduced monthly payment than what they are asking for until 21st January when her financial situation improves. However the council have refused this offer of payment despite the fact that this was all caused by their error and she is being told a week after they sent out this letter that if she doesn't pay her rent in full that they will take her to court and seek to repossess her home.

Any help on this matter is much appreciated

[Guest Cartaphilus]

However the council have refused this offer of payment despite the fact that this was all caused by their error and she is being told a week after they sent out this letter that if she doesn't pay her rent in full that they will take her to court and seek to

repossess

her home.

 

Yes, I think I'll start with an obvious question:

 

How does a council reposses a house that a person is in receipt of housing benefit for and is renting?

[Guest Cartaphilus]

Also, I think your friend need's to read this. It's from the CAB website about full-time students and housing benefit:

 

If you are a student

 

If you are a student in full-time higher education (degree level or equivalent), you cannot usually claim Housing Benefit. However, you can claim it if you are studying part-time. If you are under 19 and on a course below degree level, you can also claim Housing Benefit (unless you have recently left care).

You can also claim Housing Benefit if you get Income Support, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, you are a single parent or you are disabled, regardless of whether you are studying full-time, or what level of education you are in. You can also claim if you are a member of a couple, you are both full-time students and you have dependent children. If you are a full-time student but your partner is not, check if your partner could make the Housing Benefit claim instead of you.

[cucumber]

er, im not 100% sure whats going on here, but in response to the original poster, ur friend should claim as a single parent, not as a student. single parents usually get full housing benefit.

[Bazooka Boo]

First things first, the MOST im;portant debts are those which will keep a roof over her head and out of Jail.

So rent mortgage is top, utility bills, couirt fines, councik taxl, this spellcheckaer is getting right on my nipples!!!!

Loans, credit cards, overdrafts, current accountys, are NOT priority debts..

Edited November 21, 2010 by MARTIN3030