housing benefit ,what is the waiting time??

SkyWatcher_3

It depends on how your local Council is set up to process claims. Because it is a public service there are "performance indicators" which are reported to the Councillors and DWP. Specifically the PIs relate to how many days it takes to process a new claim and how long to process a change in circumstances.

The key for the management is to keep these averages low. I am aware that if a Council falls into a backlog then they may "ringfence" the old uncompleted work and then concentrate on doing the new work coming in immediately and then working through the backlog more slowly as these keeps the average time low.

This has always seemed a little unfair on the people waiting for their claim to be processed. On the other hand the department risk not meeting the targets set and the Councillors and DWP will not be happy with this.

In conclusion it may be that those experiencing delays are actually the victims of the burden placed on local government to provide performance data which shows continued improvement, leading to more creative ways of reducing the averages.

Signe

Hi,

I have a question about the amount of housing benefits one can get.

I am now entering my 7th week of waiting and just found out that housing benefits is only a small contribution. On the housing benefit calculator I cam to between £34 or £54 a week. My rent is £120 a week. Is that really all I am getting? Can I not get paid the full amount while I am on JSA?

Please let me know your experiences with this.

Thanks

S

amberowl28

Signe wrote: »

Hi,

I have a question about the amount of housing benefits one can get.

I am now entering my 7th week of waiting and just found out that housing benefits is only a small contribution. On the housing benefit calculator I cam to between £34 or £54 a week. My rent is £120 a week. Is that really all I am getting? Can I not get paid the full amount while I am on JSA?

Please let me know your experiences with this.

Thanks

S

What you will get is the local housing allowance, which is based on your age and the number of people living with you and the number of bedrooms. You should be able to find out what your entitlement is on your local council website or by visiting them.

If you are struggling financially, out of work you maybe entitled to 13 weeks full rent. I'm not sure what the exact requirements for this are.

fluffymovie

Hi

I work in HB and we offer a While you Wait Service which means that if you take the time to come in and have all that we need, we undertake to do most claims in half an hour. There are some restrictions on this if the claims are more complicated etc.

However, as one poster has already said, we are measured by performance indicators. If the council has everything that you can provide, they are obliged to make a payment on account after 14 days. However, in practice, the whole problem of a backlog means that this is not always possible.

I would suggest that you ask to speak to a senior officer and explain the urgency. We will always prioritise a claim where there is a notice seeking possession even if only provided that day to prevent eviction.

All in all, in really depends what area of the country you live in I'm afraid. In my experience working in HB for over 8 years, the more fuss you make, the quicker it sometimes is. Then of course, people chasing claims does mean that the assessment staff spend time explaining the delay which prevents them from actually assessing the claim. It's a catch 22 really.

Hope it works out for you