rent service are visiting me-advice please

blue_mum

poppysarah wrote: »

several large TVs might indicate you've had other income which might trigger benefits investigations etc. Don't want to worry you but if you've been on benefits a long time then it might look odd (Unless you've got very generous parents)

Hi

Just wanted to say if your a member of a local freecycle, quite often you'll seen 32" screen tv's for free , so that's not excatly showing extra income.

HDTV's maybe cause a little suspision, normal old boxes no.
Just thought i'd lessen the worry.

squiggle37

I live NG6, 2 bed house
rent is £450 a month HB pays it the landlady, dont pay anything towards rent.
There is just me and my son living here .

squiggle37

blue_mum wrote: »

Hi

Just wanted to say if your a member of a local freecycle, quite often you'll seen 32" screen tv's for free , so that's not excatly showing extra income.

HDTV's maybe cause a little suspision, normal old boxes no.
Just thought i'd lessen the worry.

Mine are both HDTV's..oops

socrates

squiggle37 wrote: »

I live NG6, 2 bed house
rent is £450 a month HB pays it the landlady, dont pay anything towards rent.
There is just me and my son living here .

Ok your LHA rate is £109.62 per week - £475.02 per calendar month (important there is a difference between this and 4 weeks)

You need to cancel their appointment and sit down with your LL.

You cancel your claim with your Local Authority and get them to restart your claim a week later.

Your LL prepares a new contract running from the day you cancel the claim for £110 per week.

The main difference will be that you will now receive LHA and not your LL. You will then need to arrange to pay them every 2 weeks or weeks whatever you decide. I hope you will not have a problem on this point and convince them that you WILL actually pay them.

Your LL will possibly have to swallow losing the one week but will receive £25 per month after 4 months they will have caught up. After that they will get £200 more rent over the year.

Then when the year is up you check the LHA rent and get a new contract with that rate on - it may well be higher.

The Rent Officers may well be coming round to down value the property and this will mean you will have top up personally or your LL may have asked for a rent increase.

Not really sure whats going on behind the scenes.

BTW all of the above is totally legal and above board and can be checked out with your LA before you even go in.

Kazzajr

Socrates, do you know that the OPs area is due to be moved over to LHA then?
I was told that existing HB claimants were not getting moved over to LHA in the foreseeable future.

If not then I think the above is not good advice what happens when/if the op gets a job and stops claiming HB but is left with the higher rent?
Or if they are not getting moved onto LHA at all and the rent officer decides £450 is a fair rent based on HB rules?

As for cancelling HB to move onto LHA, I was told that if I cancelled my HB and claimed LHA soon afterwards I may be investigated for depriving myself for financial gain.

squiggle37

Cant see my LL agreeing to that, she got loads of properties and likes people who are in benefits so she gets the money paid to her, will ring her and try tho, I not get a problem of paying the rent to her. Plus if i tell her id get more rent she would prob put mine up. She even once said to me dont get a job as its not worth it for the amount of rent she charges, I cant work at the minute due to ill health.
thanks for the advice tho much appreciated.

squiggle37

one last question..if LL dont agree to cancelling my contract and rent services come do they need proof of my benefits as i got no idea where my letters are im rubbish at keeping my papers in order.

socrates

Kazzajr wrote: »

Socrates, do you know that the OPs area is due to be moved over to LHA then?
I was told that existing HB claimants were not getting moved over to LHA in the foreseeable future.

If not then I think the above is not good advice what happens when/if the op gets a job and stops claiming HB but is left with the higher rent?
Or if they are not getting moved onto LHA at all and the rent officer decides £450 is a fair rent based on HB rules?

As for cancelling HB to move onto LHA, I was told that if I cancelled my HB and claimed LHA soon afterwards I may be investigated for depriving myself for financial gain.

Rent Officers are being made redundant because of LHA and are of the opinion that it is too high - no way they are going to value it higher - they will only go lower. Then its top up time. Which the OP will not want.

The OP is still allowed to work and claim LHA - people on the Benefits board can advise more on this one.

socrates

squiggle37 wrote: »

one last question..if LL dont agree to cancelling my contract and rent services come do they need proof of my benefits as i got no idea where my letters are im rubbish at keeping my papers in order.

You would need to ask on the Benefits Board for more detailed info on this bit

squiggle37

do they go on how old the house is this house is only 5 years old and i thought £450 was fair amount of rent for new build. There a house over the accross from me thats for rent for £550 thats with an estate agent.