Housing Benefit

[Deleted User]

hmc wrote: »

hello again
well i banged off a brief email to mp to see if he thought he could help me

he has already replied!
said my rent is decided by rent in the area and that cannot usually be altered

but if i send him all the relevant info and letters etc he will look into it

dosnt sound too hopeful does it

what do i send him
the origional decision on rent 18mths ago and the latest rent officers letter?
thanks again
h

Also.. sorry to add. only jus worked out how to put your post on mine so I can see what you've asked!!! The fact that he's agreed to look into it is good. If he wants all the info I'd send him copies of any letters you have to do with it all. I didn't need to cos my MP neva asked for any..
A rent assessment stands for 3 years so if you move out of your house and another person moves in and claims H.B the council will give them H.B based on your rent assessment.

patchwork_cat

SallyLizzie as I say the only way that you can find out if you were wrongly assessed in the first place is to get someone with all the relevant legislation and details of your award to check it e.g CAB. I would have thought it more useful to contact your councillor before your MP.

I am aware of the fact that I put my head in the lions mouth by saying that I worked for Housing Ben, albeit a long time ago but a lot of people who work for HB will do their best to help you - well certainly we did in our office.

The reason I don't answer questions on Housing ben is that it was so long ago, but some things like don't change and I am afraid I took offence at a comment about Housing Ben officers making things up as they go along. They don't. Obviously some people are better than others, but most assessments are done by computer once the data has been input.

As I say did your reassesment come about about a year after intial claim?
there is an annual review of everyones circumstances and levels of income needed to qualify will vary based on government figures.

You could try and get hold of a CPAG book and check the legislation. As I say shortly after I left there was a bit of a shake up notably in Housing Ben for private rented. Yes the rent officers assessment was beyond our control and was a ceiling.

the housing association was only a suggestion, some areas are better served than others. I won't comment on council housing availability as I have contentious views on right to buy and lifetime tenancies in over large houses

[Deleted User]

patchwork_cat wrote: »

SallyLizzie as I say the only way that you can find out if you were wrongly assessed in the first place is to get someone with all the relevant legislation and details of your award to check it e.g CAB. I would have thought it more useful to contact your councillor before your MP.

I am aware of the fact that I put my head in the lions mouth by saying that I worked for Housing Ben, albeit a long time ago but a lot of people who work for HB will do their best to help you - well certainly we did in our office.

The reason I don't answer questions on Housing ben is that it was so long ago, but some things like don't change and I am afraid I took offence at a comment about Housing Ben officers making things up as they go along. They don't. Obviously some people are better than others, but most assessments are done by computer once the data has been input.

As I say did your reassesment come about about a year after intial claim?
there is an annual review of everyones circumstances and levels of income needed to qualify will vary based on government figures.

You could try and get hold of a CPAG book and check the legislation. As I say shortly after I left there was a bit of a shake up notably in Housing Ben for private rented. Yes the rent officers assessment was beyond our control and was a ceiling.

the housing association was only a suggestion, some areas are better served than others. I won't comment on council housing availability as I have contentious views on right to buy and lifetime tenancies in over large houses

Can i start by saying it wasn't me who said housing benefit officers made it up.. it was another post.. I would never blame an individual I understand the bigger picture, I'm aware that it is all input onto a comp and a figuure given based on lots of things. I don't blame the officers I blame the rent assessment for puttin it too low in the 1st place..
I went to my MP because even tho I sent many letters to the council asking for help, re assessments, and appeals and advice i was given was they couldn't help me.. and what is the difference in gettin my MP or councellor,to help my problem was no one in the H.B office would help me so I got someone witha bigger mouth and better connections to help me, after all thats why we elect them, to help get our voice across, you have to understand I've been fighting this for 16mths now and only after my MP wrote to them did I get a reply that didn't jus say sorry we cannot help you. I was payin my rent by gettin in debt. I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't go out. The only reason I have the net is my father pays it for me. After bills I only had £4 a week to live on.
My yearly review is the sticking point. i understand that the council have legislations to stick to which is why I found it odd that they put my benefit up by £75, which you have to admit is a huge amount I've been on H.B for 3 years and i've never known it go up over a few pounds. In the past year absolutly nothing has changed in my curcumstances to warrent such a big rise in H.B this is why i assume ( sorry to repeat myself) that after reading the letters from my MP. ( who I can only praise) and seeing that the assessment was unusually low.
Can I ask what the CPAG book is so I can get a copy and read it. many thanks

MrsPhillips_2

My husband is currently on incapacity benefit following a road accident 12 months ago. We were advised to apply for housing benefit but I didn't want to mainly because I'd applied a couple of years previously when we'd split up. I had half the income but still the same outgoings and the council told me I was only entitled to £3 a week HB. I told them it wasn't worth the trouble of processing the weekely payment and not to go ahead with it to which they replied that I had to now that I had applied for it. A couple of months later, someone came to the house to see me. I showed her exactly the same paperwork and they then told me they had overpaid me and that I had to repay them. Please double check and get everything in writing from them just to cover yourself!

real1314

my experience of Hb is much more recent that P-cat's, but what they have said is pretty accurate for how things still are - the Rent Officer still decides how much the maximum rent is, however in my experience that sort of increase is absolutely unheard of. I'll say that again - absolutley unheard of.

It makes me wonder if something else has happened?

When a case if referred to the Rent Officer (RO) they are supposed to give details of the property, the rent and the household.
The RO gives a number of figures:
1. a local reference rent - this is an average figure for the rents of similarly sized properties in the local area, excluding Council and Hsg Assoc, but it does include assured tenancies which are often very low, thus pushing the average rent figure down below current market rents.
2. a size related rent - this is a figure based on the needs of your household, rather than the size of the house, so if it's a 4 bed and you have just 1 kid, it'd restrict things.

There's at least 1 more figure that I can't recall off the top of my head (exceptionally high rent might be it??)

Anyway, with such a lareg increase, I wonder if they mis-referred your rent - e.g referred you as single and got a size reklated rent for a 1 bed property, then they have realised that they mis-reffered and got a new figure based on you + 1 child for a 2-bed property?

I think you could ask for a copy of the first rent officer decision, and could then post details on here, which might help?

[Deleted User]

real1314 wrote: »

my experience of Hb is much more recent that P-cat's, but what they have said is pretty accurate for how things still are - the Rent Officer still decides how much the maximum rent is, however in my experience that sort of increase is absolutely unheard of. I'll say that again - absolutley unheard of.

It makes me wonder if something else has happened?

When a case if referred to the Rent Officer (RO) they are supposed to give details of the property, the rent and the household.
The RO gives a number of figures:
1. a local reference rent - this is an average figure for the rents of similarly sized properties in the local area, excluding Council and Hsg Assoc, but it does include assured tenancies which are often very low, thus pushing the average rent figure down below current market rents.
2. a size related rent - this is a figure based on the needs of your household, rather than the size of the house, so if it's a 4 bed and you have just 1 kid, it'd restrict things.

There's at least 1 more figure that I can't recall off the top of my head (exceptionally high rent might be it??)

Anyway, with such a lareg increase, I wonder if they mis-referred your rent - e.g referred you as single and got a size reklated rent for a 1 bed property, then they have realised that they mis-reffered and got a new figure based on you + 1 child for a 2-bed property?

I think you could ask for a copy of the first rent officer decision, and could then post details on here, which might help?

Thank you sooo much for your post!!!. Jus so you know I'm a single parent living in a 2 bed with 2 children ( boy 6 and Girl 3) they share ( obviously) So I'm not in a house that is too big for our needs..
Can I ask can I ask to see the rent officers desision even tho it was made over 16 mths ago, and if I can and upon seeing it find out that my rent was NOT mis referred, do you think I have a case, to claim my rent back to when I took the tenencay ??
I can prove that rent in the area is more for a 2 bed mid terrece then the rent officers £380, or my actual rent of £475 ( therefore excluding exeptionally high rent) And if they they DIDN'T mis -reffer me, do you think I'm right to push this..
Many thanks in advance... I can actually say your post made my day!!!!
S..:beer:

nottslass_2

Hi,sallylizzie ,try contacting shelter.They may be able to help.
www.shelter.org.uk
As well as a helpline, you can go in and see them.


Hope this helps

[Deleted User]

nottslass wrote: »

Hi,sallylizzie ,try contacting shelter.They may be able to help.
www.shelter.org.uk
As well as a helpline, you can go in and see them.


Hope this helps

I'm sorrry if this is a silly question ( I'm full of them lately) but I thought Shelter was for homeless ppl???

nottslass_2

I also thought that shelter was just for homeless people too,but they do give help and advise on all aspect of housing including housing benefits.
You could also try your local welfare rights service adviser's will have an in depth knowledge of the benefits system.

Chrysalis

Seems I was very lucky reading recent experiences, my housing benefit makes up most of my rent and not all of it only because I have excess income they did actually deem my rent fair. I also sent them a copy of my new tenancy agreement in june because my rent went up by £20 a month and they have met the increase.

However twice in the past I have had my MP involved, my MP both occasions fully supported me so they may have had this in mind and decided to play safe with me, my rent is about low average for my area.