Housing benefit Problems can anybody help?

Josephevans117a

Hi all I am having serious issues trying to set up a housing benefit claim. I been down to the housing office about 6 times now, and have brought with me all the documents they require, everytime i go to them the person I speak with says thats its all sorted and that I will recieve a letter confirming this and a date of payment. Then almost like clockwork after every visit I get a letter saying my claim was rejected due to not having the correct documents!!!! They keep saying I need proof of rent or a letter from my landlady! I have provided them with a signed letter of the landlady stating that I live at the address and that the rent is £450m a month which I pay a share of. I have also brought them down the tenancy agreement which they have said is no good because its 2 years old, then a letter comes this morning stating I need to bring this to them as well as another letter of my landlady stating the excate amount of rent I pay and also that of my housemate which I they already have but are saying its not enough proof!!!!! Anybody got any idea? I at my wits end now this is the first time in since I left school i have been out of work and its really starting to stress me out!!!! this has been going on for 3 months now and it seems like everything I bring them they said its all fine then the letter turns up!! any ideas??

Joe

fluffymovie

We would need to know what your actual rent is to process a claim for rent. However, if your rent is £450 pcm, do you pay 50%. If so, just get your j/tenant to confirm this and then if that isn't enough, I would write to the Team Leader and say,

You have asked for evidence of the rent I pay which I confirmed to you, in writing on XX date.

Under the Local Housing Allowance scheme, you only need to know what my weekly rent charge is to assess me on the Shared Room Rate. You now have this information and so I formally request a payment on account within 14 days.

This should get you a response of some kind at least.

seven-day-weekend

I would also advise you to get a receipt for any documents you take in. Ask the person at the desk to photocopy them and give them you back, with a receipt to say they have seen the originals, then they can't say you have not provided them.

Josephevans117a

thanks for your replys! In reponse yes the rent is spilt 50/50 with my housemate and this was shown in the tenancy agreement that they refused to accept cause it was out of date, but also in the letter that my landlady gave me she only stated the rent was spilt but didnt state 50/50 but like I said at the time they said yeah thats grand all processed and sorted!! I think I will proceed with getting my housemate to write a statment for me and see what they say to that one "probably yeah fine then i'll get another letter in 2 weeks lol" if so i will write to a manager team leader and go from there I shall keep you informed thanks again for the replys