Housing Costs Blunder

cozzie

(CSA1) Recently we had a recalculation done as DSD has turned 19 and we were asked for all housing costs inc loans against improvements etc. Yet, when our liability was first calculated 3yrs ago we were asked for 2 wages slips and a mortgage statment which we duly sent them. After pointing this out to them we were told that if we could prove that we were never asked for ALL housing costs then an investigation would be done, (ie. prove it), so, we pointed them in the direction of the exact letter which requested this info and have now been told that because we didn't spot THEIR mistake within 1 month of the error occurring there will be no investigation into this matter.

If our loans were taken into account in the initial calculation it would make a difference to our liability of £70pw which we have paid for the past 2 years!!

What do we do?

bdt1

Write to CSA Appeals Dept, and involve your MP. CSA will state that there is a time limit of 1 month, then another of 13 months to appeal a decision, but if the decision is incorrect then there is not timescale for it to be corrected. Also write to CSA complaints.

If CSA Appeals refuse to change the decision then it gives you full appeal rights whereby you can present your case before an Independent Appeal Tribunal and a Judge will decide the outcome, when all evidence has been presented.

If CSA Complaints give you a full and final outcome to your grievance then proceed it to ICE who will investigate this on your behalf. Some MP's are more useful than others, but the MP does have a CSA Parliamentary hotline, so should get you some answers sooner rather than later.

Good luck, they are useless

kelloggs36

What were the loans for?

skibadee

I didn't think CSA took loan repayments into consideration?

cozzie

The loans were for home improvements else the house would have been uninhabitable.

We didn't think that loans were taken into account either, apparently it depends what they are for, why they were necessary etc. We were never told about them in the 1st instance, but were asked for them for a reassessment.

(May also depend upon wether you're on CSA1 or 2).

Thank you bdt1. x .