MSE News: Single parents sent 'threatening' letters demanding proof they live alone

does anyone know if this is on-going? I am a single parent and have lived at my current address for over 4 years now. In the early days, I used to get a ridiculous amount of mail for the previous owners - one of whom had moved out at least 2 years prior to that. Although it doesn't happen so much now, there was recently a letter from a bank in the man's name through the door so I am assuming there is still a record of someone living here besides me out there somewhere. Having seen this, am wondering at what point it'll bite me on the bottom...!

Ours was a joint claim which had to be amended in November as hubby was made redundant and salary for 14-15 was significantly lower. Pay slips, contract etc had to be with them by 4th February they have had the information for exactly three weeks (sent it signed for and I kept copies). We have not heard a word from them and they still have all the documentation.

Londonsu wrote: »

RUBBISH as I said up thread my 84 year old Dad who worked and paid tax for 70 years and paid NI for 51 years had to show the same type of documentation bank statements, proof of address etc to get pension credit and HB, after he HAD to give up work due to old age.


How many people affected by these letters paid even a fraction of the contributions he did.

obviously your father needed to prove entitlement.
but pensioner benefits are paid at a much higher rate than other means tested benefit. roughly double the rate of JSA with all the perks on top.
no bedroom tax
no reduction of council tax support
winter fuel allowance.

all these could be tackled with pensioners being treated the same as everyone else ... but they won't be because pensioners voye in greater numbers than the rest of the population

nannytone wrote: »

obviously your father needed to prove entitlement.
but pensioner benefits are paid at a much higher rate than other means tested benefit. roughly double the rate of JSA with all the perks on top.
no bedroom tax
no reduction of council tax support
winter fuel allowance.

all these could be tackled with pensioners being treated the same as everyone else ... but they won't be because pensioners voye in greater numbers than the rest of the population

Well obviously these people who get these letters need to prove entitlement so why are they complaining about having to do so.


And of course pensions are higher than JSA, someone on JSA can always get a job if they cant live on it, where as not many pensioners are able to increase their pensions by working and if they do work or have a private pension their pensions are treated as taxable income so they are still paying tax (70 years worth in my dads case).


Winter fuel allowance and bus passes etc where given to pensioners as part of the deal to keep pensions low.


If pensioners had to downsize due to BT they would be competing for the same type of properties that smaller families, singles, the disabled are trying to get, and these properties are in short supply so adding 1000s to the mix would make matter worse, several councils are now finding that they cant rent out larger properties to people who qualify as these people are worried in the future they may have to pay BT so wont move.


You do realise that people my age who have paid in for years and are coming up to pension age are going to be royally stiffed when the new pension rules come into force next year and I am one of the baby boomer generation who like pensioners VOTE, so if votes were the reason for 'special treatment ' then why are the Tories changing the pension laws and alienating the very people who also vote in greater numbers than the young.

nannytone wrote: »

i am not becessarily disagreeing with you.
just expel;raining how pensioners are kept 'sweet', which you see,ed tp think wasn't true.

there are already insufficient 1 bed properties for the people that need to downsize.... so if everyone is to be treated equally, then pensioners should also see the reduction in benefit.
many pensioners over occupy by 2 or more bedrooms, an allegedly, the reduction in housing benefit is supposed to be freeing up the larger properties.

i struggle to sympathise with the baby boomer
generation..
they benefitted from high levels of decently paid employment and low house prices. this generation above all others should have been able to make provision for their old age.
the youngsters today stand no chance

As I have said councils are reporting that many people who are entitled to these larger houses refuse to take them as they believe that when their circumstances change they will have to pay the bedroom tax so even if a pensioner downsizes it does not mean a poor family will be moving in, and of course only pensioners who claim housing benefit would be subject to the bedroom tax, my Dad paid full rent on his current council house for 50 years, are you suggesting that at age 84 he gets thrown out of his home because he can no longer work.


As for your comment on Baby Boomers you seem to have forgotten or ignored the 80/90s a time of high unemployment, this was the time when both me and my husband were made redundant within weeks of each other, when there was no help with mortgage, which meant that we had to cash in savings plans to use the money to pay our mortgage, plans that should have matured this year when I am 60, money we could have had to enable me to give up work or go part time, and of course our home which we struggled to keep might be taken away to pay care home costs.


Funnily enough the youngsters in my family are all working with two of them on the housing ladder so not all have no chance