Housing Benefit and changin over to LHA - Rules

gottasavecash

Hello,

I hope someone can advise me with the best way to go with housing benefit.

I am a single parent and am on low earnings, i work 2 days a week and am paid 4 weekly = 365.

I get help with my rent and receive relatively good child tax credits (and working tax credits) due to my daughter receiving higher rate care component of DLA. I think i have all the right allowances as far as that's concerned.

My rent is 550 per month and only 520 is taken into account due to rent registration office having declared a fair rent of 520. The LHA per month is now 550 for my area and i want to transfer onto that. I have checked out various links and it specifies that i must take a 1 week break in my housing benefit claim before i can then claim LHA Housing claim.

To fill you in, my job is actually for the council and they state that i must have a good reason to terminate my current housing benefit claim. I beleive they are saying this because they will then be in-undated with similar claims.

I just want to know if i can indeed stop my current housing benefit claim without stating reason and then re-applying. I will of course have to forego 1 week's claim but in these circumstances it will be covered by the end of the year and my lease still has until may next year to run.

I thank you in advance on any incite you can give

K

fay66

Hi My authorities you have to physically move house, can you tell me how they work it out with disabled child my daughter has just been awarded it, i mean housing benefit, im still awaiting my new award,

bigbill

You would only lose one weeks HB if you stopped it for a few days and re-claimed not a whole month.

Do you claim Carers Allowance?

simone83

You do not need to give a reason to end your claim to housing benefit. that is personal information and they do not need a reason to end your claim.

Re-applying would be another matter as depending on the backlog for your area you could be waiting months for a decision. Would your landlord accept this?

If you are wanting to go ahead, confim with the council that you wish to end your claim and they will end it from the Sunday after you informed them, complete a new claim form and supply that along with two 4 weekly pay slips, your last two months bank statements for all accounts, proof of tax credits and child benefit and proof of any other income (ie. DLA).

If you take this to the office anytime the following week they will put you claim back into payment the following Monday, thus you have a one week break in claim!

Remember under the ECHR act the LA has the right to ask you any information to process their claim, but do not have ther right to ask you why you wish to do things, this is personal.

Oldernotwiser

bigbill wrote: »

You would only lose one weeks HB if you stopped it for a few days and re-claimed not a whole month.

Do you claim Carers Allowance?

You're absolutely right and I've deleted my reply. I don't know what I was thinking about!

gottasavecash

fay66 wrote: »

Hi My authorities you have to physically move house, can you tell me how they work it out with disabled child my daughter has just been awarded it, i mean housing benefit, im still awaiting my new award,

As far as i remember, it's really the tax credits that go up, you get disability allowance and then severe disability element if your child get's higher rate care DLA. I think housing benefit allow you a carer's premium if you get Carer's allowance.

I do indeed claim carer's allowance as my income minus my childcare costs bring me out below the threshold.

I'm quite lucky as due to me working alongside customer service i am privy to information like benefit backlog status's etc. It's currently 2-3 week backlog. I always pay my rent on time and don't intend to change that. I get paid 4 weekly and this month i'm paid at the start and the end of the month so i will be able to afford to pay rent from wages until claim is sorted.

Thanks for the advice regards being able to stop claim without them being allowed to ask the reason. I'm just a bit nervy that they will become awkward with new claim.

The worst of all of this is i started working just 2 weeks before the new LHA started, if i'd known i'd have delayed my start date ! And, i'm 18 pounds a week better off for working but now have to supply packed lunches for daughter, am 5 pounds a week in petrol for work and have to keep my car on the road to keep the job. I do want to work and will continue to so but it's not exactly an incentive to people. I think it would have been better for me if they hadn't changed the tax for low income people. Anyway, rant over.

Thanks, for the info, i think i'll phone Monday to stop my claim and go in Tuesday with all the paperwork.

K

fay66

Thanks K,
I dont get carers because Ive just changed benefit from income support to carers but im sure your allowed an underlying premium so they may have to include the premium. Im going tomorrow with my latest bank statements etc, Ive worked for our council for a short contract this year , they were nice people but mine was just a temp post x

bigbill

HB runs Monday to Sunday.

I think you need to stop it tomorrow (As you have said) to end the existing claim, then wait until next week to re-start it, otherwise you will be re-claiming without any gap so you woulds stay on the old rates.

fay66

Yes stop it, if there is a link period they will link it they did it to me, when i finished my old job, and working out my back pay on housing benefit

gottasavecash

bigbill wrote: »

HB runs Monday to Sunday.

I think you need to stop it tomorrow (As you have said) to end the existing claim, then wait until next week to re-start it, otherwise you will be re-claiming without any gap so you woulds stay on the old rates.

When i asked a twork, the person who enquired for me about this who is actually one of the people i need to call to cancel the claim, we talked about when you claim for housing benefit/LHA they always start the claim from the following Monday. Would it not be then if i waited to claim until the following week i'd be 2 weeks without any help with rent ? Just what she said but also my understanding from what i've read on the DWP website.

K

bigbill

If you stop it tomorrow (Monday) it will already be paid this week this Monday until the Sunday.

If you go back in Tuesday it will start again next Monday so no gap as far as I can see, but I am willing to be corrected?