Housing Benefit - request for help

dancinggirl

Dear All

Would appreciate your help with a housing benefit issue I have as panicking like mad!

I attended a formal appointment at the Job Centre in August to make a claim for JSA and was told I they could put in joint claim for JSA and Housing /Council Tax Benefit for me but I told them I had begun housing benefit claim but would appreciate advice on both claims.

I informed them that I was due to receive some holiday pay after my claims began and she said that holiday pay was no longer taken into account. I asked again and she confirmed this.

Since then I have received a letter from the housing office asking to see my bank statements for Aug / Sept by end of November. I sent one set and was due to send the second acct details when I received a letter saying they have suspend my account until they receive statements for the 2 accounts from Aug - Nov.

I am panicking like mad as the only thing I can think it is is that I was mis informed about the holiday payment. - Does anyone know the rules relating to this.....how do I prove I was given misinformation if that is the case?

In addition to this I received a payment 3 weeks after my claim for work I had done prior to my claim but which was paid monthy so retrospectively but did not tell them about this as I did not relate to any work I had done since my claim began.

I am so confused with the whole thing and beside myself with worry.

If anyone can help it would be very much appreciated

Dancing Girl

LAINEY7571

We are a samed sex couple. I am in receipt of Incapacity Benefit and DLA and was receiving Housing benefit until the law changed in Dec 2005, after which we received letters saying we were no longer entitled.

We received a bill for overpaid council tax benefit which we paid and we have been paying full rent and coucil tax ever since.


My partner has just lost her job so we applied for income support and housing/council tax benefit for which we have been granted minus £9.15 a week for overpaid housing benefit.

I rang up the council to find out what this was about and was informed there was an overpayment of £672.76 owing from my previous claim in 2005. I asked the lady why I hadn't heard anything before about this and she said it had been overlooked and was only realised when I reapplied for the benefit.

Can I appeal against this claim as we are not now in a position to pay the extra money.(I am currently paying off a DMP at £216 a month). Also does anyone know where I can get a template for a letter of appeal as I am useless at these things.

I appreciate any advice you can give me on this matter.

Thanks,

cw18

dancinggirl wrote: »

In addition to this I received a payment 3 weeks after my claim for work I had done prior to my claim but which was paid monthy so retrospectively but did not tell them about this as I did not relate to any work I had done since my claim began.

This will probably cause you a problem, as I hit a similar problem last year.

I was off sick (so still had a job - therefore slightly different situation), but dropped to IB only. This meant as a family (with DH on high rates of DLA) we were entitled to an IS top-up ...... but I had a pay cheque due two weeks after I came off SSP onto IB. Despite the fact this was two weeks at half rate (so really only one weeks pay), they wouldn't accept my claim until I received nothing on the following pay day which was a month later !! So we had to survive for the month on peanuts before we could apply


I wouldn't have minded so much, but they stopped all entitlements the day I went back to work -- despite the fact I had three weeks until pay day for that month. So they win at both ends :mad:

healy

LAINEY7571 wrote: »

We are a samed sex couple. I am in receipt of Incapacity Benefit and DLA and was receiving Housing benefit until the law changed in Dec 2005, after which we received letters saying we were no longer entitled.

We received a bill for overpaid council tax benefit which we paid and we have been paying full rent and coucil tax ever since.


My partner has just lost her job so we applied for income support and housing/council tax benefit for which we have been granted minus £9.15 a week for overpaid housing benefit.

I rang up the council to find out what this was about and was informed there was an overpayment of £672.76 owing from my previous claim in 2005. I asked the lady why I hadn't heard anything before about this and she said it had been overlooked and was only realised when I reapplied for the benefit.

Can I appeal against this claim as we are not now in a position to pay the extra money.(I am currently paying off a DMP at £216 a month). Also does anyone know where I can get a template for a letter of appeal as I am useless at these things.

I appreciate any advice you can give me on this matter.

Thanks,

I think you maybe better off starting a new thread.