Housing benefit overpayment

amym

Any help please ......... I got a letter yesterday from housing benefits stating that in 2006 I was overpaid housing benefit. At the time I lived alone with my two children, claiming tax credits and housing benefit on our rented property. I put in the claim for housing benefits and was paid £20.24 a week. They then told me it had been a mistake and I wasn't entitled to any.
Can they reclaim 4 years later, especially if it wasn't my fault?! The total they want back is £667.92!!

AnxiousMum

They can always ask for it back! Are you claiming housing benefits from the same LA that say you owe them this amount? Not sure if they can claw it back off of any future claims or not. Do you have it in writing that it was their error?

amym

I moved out of the rented house in 2007, and only claimed HB when I was there, I dont have it in writing only what I was told by telephone.

DX2

amym wrote: »

Any help please ......... I got a letter yesterday from housing benefits stating that in 2006 I was overpaid housing benefit. At the time I lived alone with my two children, claiming tax credits and housing benefit on our rented property. I put in the claim for housing benefits and was paid £20.24 a week. They then told me it had been a mistake and I wasn't entitled to any.
Can they reclaim 4 years later, especially if it wasn't my fault?! The total they want back is £667.92!!

Yes they can reclaim it 4 years on, are you able to prove it wasn't your fault?

amym

No way of proving its not my fault. I filled in the forms and they paid it for 9 months, before deciding i wasn't actually entitled to it!

Wee_Willy_Harris

amym wrote: »

No way of proving its not my fault. I filled in the forms and they paid it for 9 months, before deciding i wasn't actually entitled to it!

They will know WHY there was an overpayment and WHAT you told them. Shouldn't be too difficult to apportion blame from there.

amym

Just re-read the letter and it says "The overpayment from 27/11/2006 to 03/12/2006 is recoverable because although payments continued to be made after I was notified of the change, you would have known too much benefit was being paid". Four years later I dont remember what my change was, and at the time how would I have known I was being overpaid????