Housing Benefi/JSA

OneOfThem

Hi there,

I have a massive problem at the moment.

I applied for Housing Benefit with JSA back in September 2nd, but it got lost in the computer system somehow. So I had to make a brand new claim again on the 7th September. I was told by an advisor that I could temporarily stop my claim and restart it as I was going abroad for 4 days the next week, but when I returned, it turned out to be false information. So I had to make a brand new claim AGAIN on the 17th.

As I am using my overdraft to pay my rent at the moment, Im now -£1440, and I have paid up until 6th November. But the main problem is that I needed them to process the entire thing before 7th October so that I could have my rent paid for October as I have to leave my current place within 28 days. Which means I have to find approx £1000 to pay for a deposit for another place. ( I am in London currently)

Will housing benefit be processed from the 2nd of Sept or when I made my final claim for housing benefit from the 17th? And how long will it be until JSA will be paid in? I'd ring the helpline but I'm deaf so I can't use the phone, unfortunately!

Also, they require bank statements in which JSA is being paid in. But I haven't been paid a single thing by JSA yet, how could I show this without them delaying it even further as clearly I need money to pay for deposit/rent within the next 2/3 weeks and of course, to pay for food!

Sorry if the post isnt very clear but I'm just really stressed out at the prospect of being homeless in a month time!

dmg24

Do you have proof that you made a claim on the 2nd?

The bank statements do not need to show your JSA (though they do still need to be submitted), the JCP should inform the LA when your JSA award is made.

OneOfThem

They said I had no proof whatsoever but they somehow found my old claim on their systems on the 2nd Sept after I made the 3rd claim. So I have backdated the JSA claim but I don't know if the same could be done for Housing Benefit?

I have given them my bank statements for the past 2 months but they demand my most recent award letter/recent bank statements. I haven't received an award letter for JSA.

dmg24

OK, tell them that you have not received your JSA award and ask to be assessed on the basis of being on a low/ no income. Many LA's don't like this because they actually have to do a bit of work (whereas if you are in receipt of IB JSA your entitlement is automatically calculated), but they should not be delaying your award just because the JCP are being slow.

If you can prove that you handed in your HB forms with your JSA ones (or that the relevant questions were asked, if the claim was done over the phone) they should backdate it. However, your backdating may take longer to come through than the proper award.

OneOfThem

I did mine online with the JSA forms so hopefully they willl have got this!


Thank you for your responses, you have set my mind at rest! I will go to the housing benefit office tomorrow to ask them these questions!

fluffymovie

dmg, that isn't a very fair comment. We don't mind doing some work for those people who aren't in receipt of JSA. The issue is that when a claim is not passported, we have an audit requirement to verify income and a nil income is hard to verify. Doesn't mean we don't like the work that comes with it and no claim is automatically calculated, we still input income and work out start dates etc.

To the OP, the LA can check your date of first contact with JCP and if you have been awarded JSA IB, and they get a claim (or sometimes contact from you) within 1 calendar month, your claim will start from the Monday following the date you first contacted the Jobcentre.