Housing benefit change of liability letter... HELP

rayemae

Hi I was wondering if anyone could shed any light on my situation, I have been receiving housing benefit for the property I live in for a month short of a year now. Today I received a letter telling me that after my payment at the end of this month I would be getting no more housing benefit and the only reason offered was 'change of liability' as it is the weekend their is nothing I can do until monday and I wondered if anyone could shed any light on this situation as I feel very stressed out.

tomtom256

I would say that they have information stating someone else has moved in or become liable for council tax etc at the property, hence ending your liability to pay rent.

Maybe a quick call to your landlord/agent could help.

rayemae

Just spoke to landlord no one from the council has asked him and the living situation hasn't changed in the last 6 months so I am still liable to pay for everything I did in the first place :S

pmlindyloo

Please give us a few more details and we will try and unravel the situation. Of course it may be a simple mistake on their part.

So...
How old are you?

How many bedrooms?

What is your rent?

Do you work?

Who lives in the property? Relationship? Working?

Have there been any changes recently to you or any other people in the property?

rayemae

I'm 22, I don't work as I suffer from health problems so I am also on high rate ESA and the high rate of DLA. it's 6 bedrooms but only two of us live here now as all the other house mates moved out and the landlord is currently looking for more (but that has been the case for the last 6 months) and we each pay £300 pcm. The person I share the property with is my best friend who works full time. It is both our names on the council tax. I was getting the full £300 a month for my rent. The only slight connection I can make to anything is that the letter states that from the 1st september I will get nothing- my housing benefit for this property started on the 1st September last year, could that have any connection? Just realised it's a bank holiday and wont be able to ring till tuesday

pmlindyloo

The part that mystifies me is that the letter states that you will get nothing from September 2012.

You say that you are on the high rate of ESA. Are you on income based ESA or contribution based ESA? Which group are you in? WRAG or the Support Group?

If nothing has changed in the time since you applied for HB then I can't see how you are not entitled from September,

If this was a query about living with your employed best friend and their assuming that you were a couple then why would they say they would only stop your HB from September.

Unless anyone has any bright ideas then you may have to wait until Tuesday.

Oh, just had a thought. Does your ESA finish in September? (ESA (WRAG) contribution based only lasts for one year and then you are assessed for Income based.)

rayemae

I am income based ESA and I am in the support group, it does not run out until next year. Would have thought if it was to do with them thinking me and my friend were a couple they would have stopped it immediately and not payed me this month. :S Looks like I might have to wait until tuesday I just wondered if it had happened to anyone else and turned out to be some sort of error :S