A little advice on DHP please

In.need.of.some.luck

Hi all,

I am new to posting on these boards but have lurked on MSE for some time. I hope you may be able to give me a little advice..

I am off work on ssp due to sickness and have recently put in my first ever claim for housing benefit, which I am now receiving along with a council tax reduction. It doesnt however cover all my rent. Overall I am around 750 worse off than my usual salary, so its rather hard to manage at the moment. Upon a friends advice I have put in a claim for Discretionary Housing Payment to help me short term (hope to return to work in the near future with a bit of luck) Im awaiting the outcome of this and gave bank statements. My worry is a friend lent me £200.00 to help me short term and paid this into my account (its a loan I will repay asap and was to help me get by). This is showing on my statement & I have explained on the form its not a regular income was just to help me out. Unfortunately they have not the funds to keep helping & I dont have family who are in a position to help me financially.

Will this affect my chances of DHP or even effect my HB im already receiving? Im concerned as it was only a one off sum to help me get by (as have such a shortfall at the moment) Ive given them 2 months statements so they will see its a one off sum, but concerned as Im already in a bad enough position and dont want to end up losing what I do have.

Sorry to ramble..I have never claimed before and so its all very new to me. I just really need a little help during this time & want very much to return to work soon (worked for my employer 12 years).

Thanks in advance

Wee_Willy_Harris

It depends on the decision maker. They MAY look on it as evidence that you have explored every avenue to help yourself and that DHP is the last resort. Equaly, they MAY look on it as a windfall and reduce any award. I'm sorry, but you will just have to await the outcome.

dmg24

How long have you lived in the property? What is the shortfall between LHA/ HB and your rent?

In.need.of.some.luck

dmg24 wrote: »

How long have you lived in the property? What is the shortfall between LHA/ HB and your rent?

Ive lived at the property for 2 years.
H/B - £391.60 Rent 500.00
The shortfall for my rent is £108.40 per month.

This is my first ever claim for any type of benefit, just in unfortunate circumstances at present & having treatment which hopefully will mean I will be able to resume work at some point (possibly a months time maybe a more). Im struggling as although receive ssp thats less than a 1/4 of what my salary is including H/B im still suffering a big short fall. I do have some credit commitments/loan which takes up some of my usual expenses, but with what I am living on at present I cant afford to cover bills/food also, let alone those things. Its a nightmare as I really dont want to end up losing my home as with everything im going through right now that would just add to it, and im stuck in a lease anyhow.

I feel confident I should be able to return to work soon as Im being treated and have had a little improvement. DHP would help me out of a short term hole. I dont qualify for any other benefits due to being on ssp, and have worked all my life and just dont want to end up losing everything & getting into a huge mess due to my illness.

Ive no idea if they will give me DHP but have tried and will have to hope.

In.need.of.some.luck

By the way.. To dmg24.. I love your signature. Its a favorite quote of mine..helped me get through a recent break up.

In.need.of.some.luck

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

It depends on the decision maker. They MAY look on it as evidence that you have explored every avenue to help yourself and that DHP is the last resort. Equaly, they MAY look on it as a windfall and reduce any award. I'm sorry, but you will just have to await the outcome.

Yeah I see your point. Im going to have to hope they see it in a good light which is honestly how it is, tried all I could to get help for myself to get by but to my friend £200.00 is an awful lot and I was very grateful for this and intend on paying it back as soon as im able. I dont have any rich family members sadly

fluffymovie

Hi there

Just wanted to check that your award wasn't full because of your SSP income rather than a lower LHA rate than rent.

If you could afford the property when you moved in, and haven't claimed HB/ CTB in the past 52 weeks, you would / should have the full rent included in the calculation for LHA. That is called 13 week protection and is something that is missed a lot by LA's. I work for one and have had rows with other authorities about it (I usually win!!!)

Anyway, then the DHP may not be needed at all if you are able to return to work in the next month? Would that help at all?

In.need.of.some.luck

fluffymovie wrote: »

Hi there

Just wanted to check that your award wasn't full because of your SSP income rather than a lower LHA rate than rent.

If you could afford the property when you moved in, and haven't claimed HB/ CTB in the past 52 weeks, you would / should have the full rent included in the calculation for LHA. That is called 13 week protection and is something that is missed a lot by LA's. I work for one and have had rows with other authorities about it (I usually win!!!)

Anyway, then the DHP may not be needed at all if you are able to return to work in the next month? Would that help at all?

Hi, my award wasnt full as my rent is higher than the LHA rate, leaving me short of the rent by £108.00 approx. I could afford the place when I took it two years ago and have been working all that time so never had problems, but been on ssp for a few months now. Im having treatment but I dont know yet when I will be back (trying to be hopeful) but the bad days at present far outweigh the days where I can do much.

Ive applied for DHP because Im struggling. A friend helped me a little as mentioned in my first post, but I dont have anyone else who can so really hope I can be granted some help. I cant cover my outgoings at present with such little coming in compared to my usual salary and desperately dont want to fall into arrears. Some of my expenses are cards/loans which I presume they will not take into consideration? Usually I have no problems in meeting everything but SSP is a 1/4 of what I earn usually and im really worried of getting into trouble as I dont have any other means of support.