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Housing Benefit Issues


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its rare at least in this area but they have come down before over council tax to check the single person discount and any changes to circumstances',i remember joking well actually there's six of use her face lit up.me and five goldfish.

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Thanks for the reply. Before they come to do the review, do they have all your details already, & just want to clarify they are right? I mean, do they check any state benefits you are getting?

I had a visit from one last week & it turned out they had my wages down wrong for the last 2 years! They had my work contract but worked out benefits going by my first payslip which wasn't a full month.

I didn't realise as I was getting full benefit so never read their yearly letters.

Anyway long story short I had been overpaid 1200 over the 2 years. Got to pay that back weekly.

She told me there is no law that says they ever have to do a review, my council does out the kindness off their heart it seems! lol but have fallen behind with them.

Trouble now is she has told me over the phone what benefit I will now be getting, haven't had a letter yet but I have been on the benefits calculator that I saw a link for on here & it's still not working out! The calculator is saying I should be paying about 12 pounds more a week!

I am petrified that they have me down for a state benefit that I dont get & haven't for 5 years!

Surely she would have checked any benefits I was getting before she came to mine to do the review, & asked to see proof?

I'm probably stressing over nothing but until I get the award letter I dont know what's happening with the difference the calculator is telling me I should be paying towards rent & the amount she is telling me?

They would have requested at least 5 wage slips or 3 salary slips. If they based their calculatiosn on the first salary slip then they have made an "official mistake" and you are not obliged to pay it back. If you read Part 13 Section 100 (2) of the Housing Act this is quite clearly stated. Read here http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/213/part/13/made

Maybe you are under no obligation to pay this back. They made the same mistake with my wife's wage slips. They assume that the wage slip was a salary slip when each wage slip was clearly numbered and dated. As we had never claimned benefits previously we had no idea that we were not entitled to the benefit.

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My boyfriend, not been with him long, has said he's had enough of all this hassle I am getting with housing benefit. He reckons people are better off staying on income support or job seekers allowance as long as they can because the grief outweighs the benefits!

Cant say after only been seeing him a short while I would have thought of moving in together, but if we did move in together atleast I can bin the benefits off!! He works.

He doesn't like me being so stressed like this. And says once this overpayment business is sorted just come off it altogether. And deep down I am thinking if it doesn't work out with him I can always apply for benefits again. Although my children are early teens now so I guess it wont be long before they can pay mum rent & I wont need housing benefit!

How easy is it to come off housing benefit, do I have to fill out another form as he wont provide his wages to them, he will think that's out of order. And we wouldn't qualify because of his pay.

Obviously the overpayment I owe them will have to be paid off as they wont be able to take it out my benefit anymore.

Anyone know how stopping housing benefit works?

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Thanks. Just spoke to my little brother, I didn't realise he had come off housing benefit in the past, but he said the same thing, when he started working he just went in there & told them he wanted to stop claiming housing benefit & they cancelled it there n then.

He also said why dont I increase my work hours for now from 16 to 30+ instead of living with a boyfriend, then i'll still be able to claim tax credits & not have to claim housing benefits. It's a pain in the arris unless you are on income support or job seekers/incap & it looks like they have me down for 7.10 per hour now insteadof the 6.88 I actually get, simply because over xmas I got a bank holiday premium because I worked the xmas bank holiday monday.

They wouldn't have told me that though & I would be assessed as getting 20p an hour more, & adding up over a year when they get their rse in gear to do reviews I would end up actually getting LESS housing benefit. And you know they wouldn't give that back.

Feel kinda relieved I wont have to answer to those lot anymore. I rang tax credits this week as I only just noticed on my bank statement that I am getting nearly 2 pounds a week more than what my award letter in april told me. But they dont tell you in writing it's gone up do they!

Luckily he said that doesn't matter for them because you were obviously underpaid at some point & this is making up the difference, but housing benefit wouldn't realise that, they would cane me for not telling them about it!

Too much hassle claiming housing benefit as I said. Worked out I can get by if my work will up my hours, will have to beg them, but would rather that than be held hostage by a council that isn't doing its job right! x

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A few years ago I had to claim HB for a few weeks and they did the compliance visit thing. I do electronics as a hobby, and the small flat was cluttered up with junk. I had to sweep a couple of seats clear of components, tools, and half-finished circuit boards, just so the officer and accompanying security bloke could sit down.

 

It looked like I was making bombs. I was expecting my next official visit to be from MI5...

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I am so glad you asked that question. I have been thinking of coming off housing benefit after all the stress I have been through the last few weeks. It will be a bit of a struggle but for the sake of £93 a month, there will be no more stress and today I have given up smoking so that will help.....

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There ya go then Looby, do yourself a favour & get off the thing! They are completely incompetent when you claim, then when the muck up becomes apparent they blame you. I am sick of it to be honest. I would rather live on beans on toast than take anything from them now. I have eaten crisps for the last 2 weeks because I have been so stressed, so i'll lose weight!

Just hope my work (supermarket) will give me extra hours.

Who would believe some untrained baffoon in the housing benefit dept would have a single parent end up in such a state & owing money, yes it's up to us to double check what they have worked things out on, but if you dont get any rent arrears from your housing assosiation, & are told you're getting full benefit on the phone, you assume everything is hunky dorey.

6 of one & half a dozen of the other yes, but I have been told I got let down badly in regards of duty of care. And because of that & my not checking things I am now going to quit it & end up worse off because I am too scared anything like that will happen again.

It sucks big time. If you can manage without claiming any housing benefits, get off it! x

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A few years ago I had to claim HB for a few weeks and they did the compliance visit thing. I do electronics as a hobby, and the small flat was cluttered up with junk. I had to sweep a couple of seats clear of components, tools, and half-finished circuit boards, just so the officer and accompanying security bloke could sit down.

 

It looked like I was making bombs. I was expecting my next official visit to be from MI5...

 

And did you get your next visit?

Why did 2 people visit you?

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Although mine has now been sorted and I have the overpayment to pay back, I have spent nearly all weekend stressing, what if something was to go wrong again etc etc (thats me being very pessimistic). Cant live my life like this and have been on the phone to my parents tonight who have offered to pay my overpayment off for me.... As for losing weight, I have lost a stone in the past month which I couldnt afford to lose in the first place as I then recovering from pleurisy.

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Although mine has now been sorted and I have the overpayment to pay back, I have spent nearly all weekend stressing, what if something was to go wrong again etc etc (thats me being very pessimistic). Cant live my life like this and have been on the phone to my parents tonight who have offered to pay my overpayment off for me.... As for losing weight, I have lost a stone in the past month which I couldnt afford to lose in the first place as I then recovering from pleurisy.

 

So at least now you can relax a bit that it's sorted & you know they have everything worked out right & the over payment is set up to be paid back, no further action? But I know exactly where you are coming from in regards to another mistake happening. I think that's what's worried me this weekend. I have rung ion sick 2 days running now & will be up the docs tomorrow for a sick note because I cant even think of going to work at the moment, I went last week & was making silly mistakes because my head was elsewhere.

Oh gosh I wish I had someone that offerred to pay mine back. Mine is 1200. My mum paid 1k on my brothers rent a year or so ago so that he didn't get evicted from his housing assosiation flat, he is on incap so he is supposed to pay towards his rent, but because he would rather get drunk & take coke & claim he is depressed & managed to get incap because of that, which actually meant he should pay some towards his rent each week but he didn't pay towards his rent, she bailed him out. She has tld me this weekend she will pay a month of my rent, less than 400 quid. If need be.

I dont expect anyone to bail me out of trouble by anymeans, but that smarts a bit considering he doesn't have children to house & his rent arrears were his own doing!

If I was in your shoes, & a family member offerred to pay the over payment, I would probably go for it, if only to get off the benefit, & be done with them, then pay the family memeber back?

I dont know what your over payment was. But still better to owe family than the untrained coucil assessment staff that muffed it up in the first place & will keep doing, as I can show.

They have me down for 7.10 per hour at the moment, I only earn 6.88. They have based that on my payslip for the xmas period including a bank holiday premium. It's not my fault I am down for working mondays, There are a few bank holiday mondays in the year. I will either make sure I book them off or ring in sick! Besides, I shall be kicking housing benefit to the curb because I cant take the stress of the way they work it out. x

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And did you get your next visit?

Why did 2 people visit you?

 

Heh, no, I didn't hear any more about that.

 

As to why two people, I assumed that was my council's policy. The officer was a smallish woman, and council staff have been known to be attacked while making these kinds of visits. The man didn't say anything beyond basic pleasantries - he certainly didn't ask any questions or the like - so I guessed he was more of a security guard. He wasn't scary or intimidating or anything like that.

PLEASE HELP US TO KEEP THIS SITE RUNNING. EVERY POUND DONATED WILL HELP US TO KEEP HELPING OTHERS

 

 

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Luckily I could afford to lose about 2 stone in all, so that is all the bonus of this is. I know I am dehydrated too as my lips are dry & I keep picking them, I keep trying to drink fluids but I cant force down what my body isn't saying I need?

I expect you know what I mean there by what you have said in your post x

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Just a little mention of how to protect in the future for anyone claiming:

 

I know you should be able to believe what told over the phone. I know it can be said mistakes happen.

 

But if you are going to rely on what told over the phone always record the call, wether using a mobile with record sound held to earpeice or more simply a device such as true call.

 

Its just so hard to prove what was said if no recording is made and its a matter of he said she said which is destressing. If advised of anything over a counter ask the representative to write it down.

 

Whereas I dont read the enclosed panflets I do read the award notices but notice a lot of posters saying they dont read these even. I also inform dwp of any change wether relevant or not to protect myself.

 

My point is just to protect yourself record calls. Even to extent to make sure all communication is over the phone even as hard to record an over the counter response.

 

I have done it for years out of being paranoid and not trusting people, part of my illness and didnt realise how such an illness could become on one occasion my friend. I was accused of not telling the dwp information which could have resulted in overpayment of 500.00 a month, due to them changing a rule and then months later reverting the change and then back again, as in the money mattered, then didnt, then did, then again didnt count.

 

I was able to play the call to them and found not at fault.

 

So if you are entitled to housing or other help, please take it and dont fear the possibility of the dwp or housing making mistakes and accusing you, because if you have recorded any calls and just trusted what told with no reason to doubt a mistake was being made, then the recording will help you.

 

I am not saying everyone should be as paranoid as me, but in this day and age when ringing with important updates or request for information, record the calls and sleep peacefully.

 

Again if entitled to housing benefit, please please claim it and dont struggle best wishes.

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Awww you're a sweetie, thanks for that advice.

Well, I emailed benefits today & told them I wanted to stop claiming from now, as I am going to be working full time, tax credits go down obviously, but I would rather stand on my own two feet now, children are mid teens, & because I find housing benefit too complex I would rather not bther with them.

I couldn't go through another overpayment at any point. It's been awful.

I dont know what happens now, the woman on the phone just said email us & tell us you no longer want to claim. I guess they will write to me & confirm it's stopped?

Have already arranged paying back the overpayment at a set amount each month that can be done on line the lady said.

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Because they'll just say I should have read the award letter instead of just trusting what someone on the phone from there told me. Obviously after they based my claim right going by my contract, then put down that I was actually on less because when they saw my first payslip, which was only a part month due to me starting there half way through their pay month? they didn't register that the wage slip didn't match the contract & didn't ask for another payslip. But they will still say I should have noticed that from the award letter they would have sent after that, but as I said before, I was getting my rent paid, unless it went into arrears I wouldn't have qestioned it. But that's not really enough defence for me, that is still my fault & I will have to pay for it.

As was said in another thread, anyone claiming benefits check check & double check they have everything down as right, because mistakes do happen, on both sides.

x

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How much detail did you put in your email??

 

 

Well the woman on the phone at benefits this morning said just send us an email to benefits@ blah blah blah saying you no longer want to claim.

But I did put in the email I wanted it to stop from today as I will be working full time from the begining of march, but want to stop it now due to having incurred an over payment arrising from a review recently & dont want anymore chance of over payments again as I found it stressful.

At the end of the day my mum said she will pay one months rent for me rather than me have the complex bit of them not stopping it soon enough & me ending up stressed again.

I will get a full time wage at the end of march so as long as I owe the council no more that's all I care about!

Are you wanting to come off them too?

x

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Award letters are not the easiest to understand at the best of times, but regardless of this, they still made an official mistake on yours. Our award letter had the wrong figures, but as we had never claimed before we assumed that it was correct. It was only when they sent a second one 5 months later that I picked up the error. I then contacted them and pointed out the error of theri ways and they did try and claim back the overpayment, but I referred them to the regulations. They dropped it straight away.

As long as you supplied all the correct information to them, you are not obliged to pay back an overpayment due to an official error. Of course, your cirumstances may be slightly different, but you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by challenging them about the official mistake.

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Hello everyone I am new to the forums and was looking for a way to stop receiving housing benefits after they over-paid me by a small amount and want it paying back, I tried to phone them on a daily basis to let them know that from October I'd be working a few hours overtime and couldn't get through at all.

 

I have an interview with them tomorrow and will let them know that although I was laid off on Friday 12th Februasry 2010 I am not going to claim HB, It is not worth the hassle really. I start two homeworking jobs next week and I will look into other jobs later as alot of them are tempory at the moment and I will just pay my rent in full on the wages I receive.

 

Claiming benefits have just become a nightmare with the department acting like because you are claiming them you are their property to treat as they like.

 

I would rather suffer hardship than be treated that way. Good luck to others who are beginning to open up their eyes and see the benefit department for what they are.:-)

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Hadenough, I agree with you, if there is any way of not having housing benefit, do it. Because they are rip off merchants. I got my new award letter today since my recent review & yes this time I have checked out the figures they have based my rate of pay on about 7.40 an hour, when I only get 6.88!!! I was not due a payrise until the end of this year atleast, so in theory they would be UNDERPAYING me! Ok not by a lot, but hardly the point. That was because I worked a bank holiday monday in december & the january bank holiday.

The review officer hasn't mentioned anything about taking 2 normal months ones down there again, so they would have been happy to carry on underpaying me, & that riles me a bit. They dont advise you at all.

So I am glad I stopped it yesterday, good riddence to it!

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