Urgent Advice needed re HB-refused!

lindsaygalaxy

Please please help

I am a single mum workinf full time, with a daughter that goes to nursery p/t

I live in a house that costs 775 p/month ( 2 bed, average price where i live) and applied for housing benefit. Went onto entitledto and it said i was entitled to about half the rent paid on housing benefit. But just got my letter back and it says im not entitled to anything!

They have got the tax credits bit wring, as tax credits still havent adjusyted my claim, it says on the letter i gtet £170 a week but it should be more like 80, will this make a difference?

Please can someone advice. i dont know wht to do, i dont want to give up work ( i earn 18,000 but after tax and ni thats only about 1100 a month)
and i dont want to have to go back live with my parents. The council and housing associations wont house me cause apparently im nto of some urgency.

mummytofour

CAB and appeal is all I can say.
I am sure somebody who knows more will be alonge soon.
Please dont worry.

real1314

Ok, first let's assume your rent is allowed in full (but it's probably not)..

£775 pcm = £178.85 per week

Your income allowance will be about £123 per week (roughly £60 for you, £45 for 1 child, £18 for being a family).

Your income is £253.85 per week in wages, £18.10 in Child Benefit, £80 in tax credits (seems low for Child tax Credit and Working tax credit?); Total = £351.95.

Take off the income allowance, leaves £228.95. Then apply the HB taper at 65% gives £148.82.

Take this from your allowable rent, leaves you with £30.03 in Housing Benefit.

However:

1. Your tax credit figure seems low.
2. Your rent might not be allowed in full.

The allowable rent should be shown on your HB disallowance letter (as "Eligible rent"), check it out and reply with the exact figure, also, double check your tax credit figure.

lindsaygalaxy

My tax credits is only £80 because at present my daughter only goes to nursery 2 days a week costing £62 a week ontil this is all sorted.

It says the eligible rent is £90 p/week ( which i dont understand as u cannot erent a 2 bed in newbury for less than £700 minimum and the council wont house me, can i appeal against this?)

thank you for your help

their website calculator says i should get £75 week h/b, and the entitledto.website says £80 so i just dont understand!

lindsaygalaxy

Oh on another sheet it says eligible rent is £132.69

TheWaltons_3

But aren't you working full time?

lindsaygalaxy

yes i work full time in a pretty good job, but unfortunatly even working full time doesnt cover rent, council tax and childcare, never mind other bills.

TheWaltons_3

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

yes i work full time in a pretty good job, but unfortunatly even working full time doesnt cover rent, council tax and childcare, never mind other bills.

I can well believe that.. have your circumstances recently changed?

How have you been managing up to now?

lindsaygalaxy

Me and my ex split up last year. I used to rent a house for only £400 a month, EXTREMELY cheap for newbury, btu it needed constant maintance, had mould growing up the wall, was damp all the time and heaing costs a fortune, btu never heated the house, needed redecoration everything. It was the main reason im in debt, me and my ex spent a lot on it hopign to own it one day, btu it wsa just fallign apart ( a bit young and naive). But it was cheap because you the tenant was expected to do all the work. After he left i just couldnt keep it up and didnt want to bring my daughter up in a house in need of constant repair. SO now i lve in a much smaller, btu nearly brand new house with everything done for me, but at a much higher cost!

Id never get a house that cheap again here and everything else is around the price i pay now. its a bit no win. To get a council house here you either have to be homeless, an ex druggie who has changed your life around, and just really darn lucky! Even if i gave up work, it wouldnt cover the cost of rent here, and ive tried everything, to get a council house, but its just impossible! Its like punishment for working or not not paying my rent.

TheWaltons_3

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

Me and my ex split up last year. I used to rent a house for only £400 a month, EXTREMELY cheap for newbury, btu it needed constant maintance, had mould growing up the wall, was damp all the time and heaing costs a fortune, btu never heated the house, needed redecoration everything. It was the main reason im in debt, me and my ex spent a lot on it hopign to own it one day, btu it wsa just fallign apart ( a bit young and naive). But it was cheap because you the tenant was expected to do all the work. After he left i just couldnt keep it up and didnt want to bring my daughter up in a house in need of constant repair. SO now i lve in a much smaller, btu nearly brand new house with everything done for me, but at a much higher cost!

Id never get a house that cheap again here and everything else is around the price i pay now. its a bit no win. To get a council house here you either have to be homeless, an ex druggie who has changed your life around, and just really darn lucky! Even if i gave up work, it wouldnt cover the cost of rent here, and ive tried everything, to get a council house, but its just impossible! Its like punishment for working or not not paying my rent.

I hope you get this sorted for you and your daughters sake. Do you get enough Child Support from him?

lynzpower

The only thing I can suggest to you tho , is that you present at your local homleessness team.

You have a case, that its "not reasonable to occupy" ( given the fact you cant afford it) therefore, you are technically homeless.

Many housing departments pretend they dont know about this regualtion,speak to Shelter about it before you go in there is my advice