housing benefit gone down!!!

Ross01

The rent officer decision is reviewed every 52 weeks. Once it is set it is valid for 52 weeks, and will not be re-referred if your rent goes up in the meantime (unless the increase is a written term of your tenancy agreement). Recently the rent office have revised some of the localities they use when making their decisions. This means that decisions have gone up in some areas but down in others - which could be why yours has decreased. Unfortunately you cant actually appeal a rent office decision- as you have no appeal right, but you can ask for a redetermination. This means another rent officer looks at your property and makes a new decision based on the circumstances at the time of the original referal. Beware though the Rent Office Re-Determination can go up, remain the same, or decrease. Until recently as an benefit assessment officer I would have immediately advised the claimant to request a re-determination, as you hardly ever saw a decision decrease. But lately we have had a large number of redetermination come back significantly lower than the original decision the claimants were unhappy with, meaning they have ended up even worse off. So asking for a re-determination is not guaranteed to be helpfulI would certainly advise apply for a DHP, but it is discretionary,and would probably only be awarded for a limited period.

deary65

QUOTE:
"Unfortunately you cant actually appeal a rent office decision"

IN a Dictatorship I would agree but, such fortunately for us all is not the case.
We live in a democracy supported by the rule of LAW.The rent officer has made a decision in relation to a contract between two private persons that means in law you can challenge that decision judiciously ie by way of appeal. The real reason way there is no appeal is because the rent officers decision is not lawful.

hmc

thankyou again

the housing office said i have a month to appeal which i most certainly will be doing
my land lord has been on the phone to them also as they are implying the value of property has gone down!!
it has had a new roof recently and no houses in this area have decreased in value

i shall take this as far as i can otherwise they will have me on their priority housig list as i shall be homeless