Who Gets Your Housing Benefit ?

Dunroamin

mazza111 wrote: »

I never said anything of the sort nor implied it. If I've got something to say I say it. I feel that this way of doing things will confuse a great deal of people. It works as it is at the moment. Why change things when it works. This way it will leave more people who can't handle finances whether that be through being of a vulnerable group or those irresponsible, likely to have rent arrears, which is why I'm against this.

WITHOUT GOING INTO WHETHER PEOPLE SHOULD BE PROTECTED OR NOT.

OK, but it was the implication in your post, even if that wasn't your intention.

Anyway, surely the last few posts give good reasons why things should change - we can't keep on with a system where people don't know that they pay rent, don't count their LHA/HB/CTB as income and just think that someone (?) just happens to give them a flat or house.

Attitudes need to change and that's the most important thing.

System

dseventy wrote: »

If I had to and could not rent it, I would want

• (at least) 3 months rent in advance Nope
• large deposit Nope (well..maybe $2-300 if i try and save)
• a guarantor, nope
• satisfactory credit checks, yep
• referencs yep

Who on LHA could provide that or was willing to go through with that?

D70

I'm screwed then...

mazza111

Dunroamin wrote: »

OK, but it was the implication in your post, even if that wasn't your intention.

Anyway, surely the last few posts give good reasons why things should change - we can't keep on with a system where people don't know that they pay rent, don't count their LHA/HB/CTB as income and just think that someone (?) just happens to give them a flat or house.

Attitudes need to change and that's the most important thing.

FGS I didn't imply anything. You read things that aren't there.

Maybe attitudes need to change with regards to HB, but to put those vulnerable or those who can't handle money in this position seems ridiculous when the system that's in place right now prevents them from having rent arrears.

Why change a system that works?

Why take that risk?

Again, I'm not concerned for the single parent who pays other things first, but those who are vulnerable, and may be quite clueless about money getting caught out. The poster on the other thread already showed concern that it was going to happen to her in October, and she only had mild learning difficulties.

When I worked in sheltered housing, there were several people like this, who just couldn't handle money. They didn't know about filling in forms to get things like housing benefit. Where this used to be a support worker's job, the support has been cut to the bone in many areas. Ranging from mild to severe learning difficulties. Those are the vulnerable people I speak of when I mention vulnerability.

You or I may not have problems where things like this are concerned, but many will. I just don't see why they need to change something from the norm, when it causes so many problems.

Confuseddot

Own_My_Own wrote: »

But as I have said, my sister was bought up in the same house as me, but is useless with money. You can either do it or you can't.

And what is the huge divide ?

The majority of those in private rentals get their housing benefit paid to them and then have to pass to landlord - that was the divide I was talking about.

Its not so much a matter of being useless with money its learning to manage on a budget, its hard but people start need to take some responsibility for actions. Which again is easier said than done.