Urgent housing benefit and council tax benefit.

LisaB85

Some of you remember the problems my parents had with their housing benefit being stopped in June 11 they didn't inform my parents which added £800 to housing arrears.

Housing arrears are now cleared completely, and they made a fresh claim to housing and ctb in Aug this was back dated and they paid £1000 which was owed due to under payments on their previous claim.

However today they received this letter.....dated 13/10/2011

Suspension of housing benefit and council tax benefit.
The DWP has informed us that your income has changed. Your entitlement to housing benefit have been suspended from 19/09/2011 and your CTB from 13/10/2011

We need to be satisfied that your entitlement to housing and ctb is correct, therefore, please provide the following information.

We have been informed that you and your partner are not entitled to ESA for the period 25/03/2011 to 19/04/2011 due to your earnings. Please can you confirm the date you started work and provide your wage slips so they can be added to your claim.

Please provide the req info within 7 days.

To me this looks like a huge balls up on the part of the council. My mums partner did indeed do some work between those dates as a self employed person he was paid about £80 a week.

When this work ended due to him not being able to handle it he made a new claim to ESA which he is still getting as far as we are aware. He informed the jobcentre and the council at the time of doing this work.

My mum is claiming DLA and he is currently claiming ESA.

My mum called the council today and they couldn't understand the suspension they have advised her to write a letter confirming that her partner did work and the benefits they are currently on, I have told her to go into the council on Friday and sit and wait to see someone with all the proof of benefit and info she took when she made the claim.

I have advised her to contact the jobcentre to confirm ESA is still live, (the claim was closed for the periods of work) and to contact the housing assoc to explain the situation.

Can anyone advise on the best action?

bobajob_1966

LisaB85 wrote: »

My mum called the council today and they couldn't understand the suspension they have advised her to write a letter confirming that her partner did work and the benefits they are currently on, I have told her to go into the council on Friday and sit and wait to see someone with all the proof of benefit and info she took when she made the claim.

...

Can anyone advise on the best action?

You appear to already have your answer?

LisaB85

bobajob_1966 wrote: »

You appear to already have your answer?

I don't really trust that all they want is a written letter to tell them what they already know etc

My mum is going on holiday in 2 weeks so it needs sorting, trying my best but she is hostile at the best of times and likes to ask for help then gets ratty about it.

bobajob_1966

LisaB85 wrote: »

I don't really trust that all they want is a written letter to tell them what they already know etc

My mum is going on holiday in 2 weeks so it needs sorting, trying my best but she is hostile at the best of times and likes to ask for help then gets ratty about it.

You need to provide wages slips or an invoice also. The easiest way to sort situations like this is to provide exactly what they ask for.

LisaB85

bobajob_1966 wrote: »

You need to provide wages slips or an invoice also. The easiest way to sort situations like this is to provide exactly what they ask for.

They don't have wage slips or an invoice but completed one of the jcp forms.

bobajob_1966

LisaB85 wrote: »

They don't have wage slips or an invoice but completed one of the jcp forms.

In that case provide confirmation from the JCP, bank statements showing the transactions etc.

LisaB85

bobajob_1966 wrote: »

In that case provide confirmation from the JCP, bank statements showing the transactions etc.

They are complete idiots, they would have been informed by the jcp at the time of the work etc.

Welf

You say he informed the jobcentre and the council at the time of doing this work. Did they reassess his claim to reflect his earnings and that ESA had stopped?
If not they may be stating they did not know he worked at that time (and have just had notification from the DWP) and that they continued to assess the claim on ESA as income.
He needs to provde proof of his income for the period that ESA stopped; 25/3 to 19/4. So long as he does this within one calendar month of the request they will do the reassessment now.
No point bringing them proof of current ESA - this request is about a past period and they are not questioing the current award.

LisaB85

Welf wrote: »

You say he informed the jobcentre and the council at the time of doing this work. Did they reassess his claim to reflect his earnings and that ESA had stopped?
If not they may be stating they did not know he worked at that time (and have just had notification from the DWP) and that they continued to assess the claim on ESA as income.
He needs to provde proof of his income for the period that ESA stopped; 25/3 to 19/4. So long as he does this within one calendar month of the request they will do the reassessment now.
No point bringing them proof of current ESA - this request is about a past period and they are not questioing the current award.

Why have they suspended the current award for this past claim?

LisaB85

New Info....

They have no proof of income, he was paid cash and stupidly didn't get a receipt.

I wrote a statement to say how much he earned would this be enough?

The jobcentre never asked for any proof, at the time he did all this through shaw trust.

fife1975

Hi, I am wonderin gif anyone has experience with this particular query. I work 30 hours per week, and a single parent, and may be pregnant again. I live at home with my daughter, my partner does not live with us. I am in receipt of Housing Benefit at the moment, it pays about a third of my rent. I was wondering if the amount you received for Housing Benefit increases whilst you are off on Maternity Leave? Also, would Council Tax Benefit increase during this time?

Would be grateful for any advice or guidance, as I am already starting to worry!!!!!