Just had visit from DWP Customer Compliance Officer - Worried

peteraol · 12 July 2012 at 12:12PM

I am on JSA and I just had a visit from a DWP Customer Compliance officer and was shocked to find that she turned up with my bank statements! I had got them ready anyway as the letter of her visit said I would need them but she already had a years worth printed out.

Anyway, I get $129 every 2 weeks as they take a little off for my water and pay in directly. I have been taken to court for loans and credit card debts a few times now and there is no way I cant make the court payments etc from JSA as it runs into hundreds a month. Therefore my Mother has been lending me the money to pay the court debts (some have charging orders so can order a sale if I default) which I need to pay back at a later date as its from her savings. The payment into my account from my mother was what she had come to query.

However the person from DWP says this counts as income even though I know its a loan that I have to repay. She therefore says I am likely to lose my JSA.

Now I am worried. What shall I do?

Thanks

sulkisu · 12 July 2012 at 12:45PM

How much money has your mother given to you and was it one lump sum or at regular intervals?

peteraol · 12 July 2012 at 1:13PM

Hi,

Over the past year its been around £3000 to pay towards creditors. It wasnt a lump sum and was every couple of weeks if I needed it. I have a couple of creditors that I cant fail to pay as they have charging orders. Also some is being used to make up arrears on electric, gas and water charges.

The basic idea was that she would do it if she could until I got back into work and then I would need to repay it back as its coming from what she put aside when she isnt here anymore which is being left to my brothers and sisters.

Basically if I didnt have it then I would have defaulted on the court orders and would have been made homeless.

Thanks

Cate1976 · 12 July 2012 at 1:15PM

Money lent to you by family shouldn't be counted as income. Housing Benefit tried it on me. They asked for bank statements and saw payments from my Mum. Wrote to me asking if the payments were for work I'd done. I went to office and said no, Mum had been lending us money adding that I assume family are allowed to lend me money and they said it was ok.

My advice to you would be to show £xxx goes in on a certain day from your Mum then within a few days it goes out to xxxxxx. Also go to CAB if you think DWP are going to get awkward.

Might help if your Mum writes a letter confirming that the payments are loans.

peteraol · 12 July 2012 at 1:30PM

Thank you Cate1976,

I did offer them to take my mothers phone number and also to check the branch where the money is paid in which is always the same one in my mums town which is about 90 minutes away from me.

I have also got 2 grown up sons (20 and 23) who sometimes stay with me over the weekend. They live with my ex wife and the DWP person said that actually someone else even staying one night can be a breach of the rules too as I claim as a single person living alone.

So really they are saying I cant have my children stay and my mother cant lend me money to get me out of trouble.

What a joke!

diceydeb · 12 July 2012 at 1:37PM

If family are going to help you out its best they give it to you in cash or pay a bill for you with it. Its hard to dismiss a regular payment into your account as unaccountable income. As for relatives staying at your house I always thought it was ok as long as it was no more than 3 nights a week.

pmlindyloo · 12 July 2012 at 1:53PM

Forgive me for saying so but if you are on JSA then your creditors should only be taking a minimal amount from your income. If your Mum has been lending you money to pay your debts then something is wrong and you need some specialist advice about your debt and how to manage it.

There are different options available so without knowing your full circumstances then I would hesitate to suggest anything.

Please post on the DebtFree Wannabe board or make an appointment with a money specialist at CAB.

peteraol · 12 July 2012 at 2:07PM

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Forgive me for saying so but if you are on JSA then your creditors should only be taking a minimal amount from your income. If your Mum has been lending you money to pay your debts then something is wrong and you need some specialist advice about your debt and how to manage it.

There are different options available so without knowing your full circumstances then I would hesitate to suggest anything.

Please post on the DebtFree Wannabe board or make an appointment with a money specialist at CAB.

Hi, I have had help from CCCS and a company called Dawn Advice before. The debts are my own fault so I hope nobody jumps in with any remarks about how I got myself in the situation.

However, one of them is with First Direct who gave me a six month period of paying a reduced payment of £50 but that has now reverted to the full amount of £180 a month and another creditor giving me a very hard time is Barclays as it was a business loan to my company (which has now collapsed) which I had guaranteed. Also the water and electric is set at £180 a month to pay of arrears there also.

My JSA total is £258 a month

Thanks

Cate1976 · 12 July 2012 at 2:09PM

Go to CAB on all this. I don't think they can stop your children staying at the weekends. I would also put in writing to manager to complain about loans from family being counted as income and your children not being allowed to stay some weekends. Good point that creditors should accept minimal payments with you being on JSA.

pmlindyloo · 12 July 2012 at 2:15PM

peteraol wrote: »

Hi, I have had help from CCCS and a company called Dawn Advice before. The debts are my own fault so I hope nobody jumps in with any remarks about how I got myself in the situation.

However, one of them is with First Direct who gave me a six month period of paying a reduced payment of £50 but that has now reverted to the full amount of £180 a month and another creditor giving me a very hard time is Barclays as it was a business loan to my company (which has now collapsed) which I had guaranteed. Also the water and electric is set at £180 a month to pay of arrears there also.

My JSA total is £258 a month

Thanks

I don't know what CCCS advised (were they aware of all your debts?) and they usually have a great reputation but you should not be in this situation when you are on JSA. Absolutely ridiculous.

Have never heard of Dawn Advice - hope you didn't/aren't paying them anything.

You must get some more professional advice. Do it now.

I will try and find the link for the organisations you can go to for help.

pmlindyloo · 12 July 2012 at 2:16PM

Here you are:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2077631

Just had visit from DWP Customer Compliance Officer - Worried

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free