Housing Benefit

hmc

wow you have been lucky
my rent increased and they put mine down

well i have started the appeal through the rent offers office

and photocopied 12 sheets of info for my mp which i delivered yesterday

so i guess its just wait and see

i feel a letter to local paper coming on

hmc

well i had a letter back from appeals officer at housing ben office.
she says this years assesment was based on a 1 bed and she thinks it is wrong as im allowed a 2 bed as i have a child

so rent officer had penilised me as of extra room?
all goes over my head

anyway she is going to try to sort it out and she hopes my rent allowence will remain as it has for the last year

still holding out hope with mp as i still pay a whack of top up

so there is hope on the horizon
i hope it sorts itself out as i can just scrape £75 a mth top up but not £120 they reckon on at the moment

h

[Deleted User]

Why are you only allowed a 1 bed if you have a child???, and don't forget you can appeal the desicion and also there is a payment called discretionary hardship payment you can apply for also, so don't give up hope yet!!!

hmc

i think they did it wrong,unless rules have changed and im supposed to share with child?

will keep you updated

have you made any progress?

h

peter999

Sallylizzie wrote: »

After a year of living here I decided to look for a cheaper property in the area and found that actually my rent was very cheap for the area. Average rent for a 2 bed in my area being between £450 and £575 ( nowhere near the £380 the rent service said). i wrote to the council and was told they couldn't help me.

So in desperation I wrote to my MP expaining I thought the original rent assesment was too low, who then wrote to the CE of the council and a week later my H.B was put up from £380 to £455. I was so happy and wrote to the council asking if they agreed with me about the assessment being too low in the 1st place would they consider backdating the extra H.B to when I took on the proprerty. They told me the had put my H.B up because of a yearly assessment. In the same letter they told me that unless there was a major change in my tenency My H.B wouldn't go up. Yet Here I am with an extra £75 H.B that I'm totally greatful for , but as there has been no change to my tenency I'm confused.

They say my H.B went up because of a yearly review ( nothing to do with the letter from the MP) They say in the yearly review that no exrta H.B will be awarded unless there is a major change to my tenancy ( there has been none) I believe they have put my benefit up because they realised that the original assessment was too low and therefore i think they shoiuld backdate me..

It doesn't happen that they suddenly increase your HB for no real reason or just annual review.

The letter from your MP must have kicked them into action.

Them getting letter from your MP is serious business & council officers may be worried about any further complaints, so they refuse to acknowledge a mistake may have been made.

You should ask for written explanation of the assessment decisions which may provide further information for your appeal.
The more questions you ask, the more they may back themselves into a corner.

I suggest you keep complaining until they give in & backdate your claim.

peter999

Ps: use paragraphs, makes it easier to read.

lindsaygalaxy

Hi

I just wanted to say thank you for this thread. It has encouraged me to get my rent looked at by a rent officer. Where I love it is very expensive and my 2 bed costs me £775 a month (£180 a week) but they seem to think i should be able to get one for £560 ( £130) a week. I would like to see them try! That only just covers a one bed flat and i have a daughter so we need a 2 bed.

thanks for all the posts on here!

[Deleted User]

peter999 wrote: »

It doesn't happen that they suddenly increase your HB for no real reason or just annual review.

The letter from your MP must have kicked them into action.

Them getting letter from your MP is serious business & council officers may be worried about any further complaints, so they refuse to acknowledge a mistake may have been made.

You should ask for written explanation of the assessment decisions which may provide further information for your appeal.
The more questions you ask, the more they may back themselves into a corner.

I suggest you keep complaining until they give in & backdate your claim.

peter999

Ps: use paragraphs, makes it easier to read.

I'm been going complaining to the council about this for over a year... I've never asked to see my assessment details tho... thanks for that!!
(and I'll try paragraphs next time too LOL)

peter999

Sallylizzie wrote: »

I'm been going complaining to the council about this for over a year... I've never asked to see my assessment details tho... thanks for that!!
(and I'll try paragraphs next time too LOL)

Your HB letters may say something like:

"If you disagree with my decision, you can ask for a STATEMENT OF REASONS explaining my decision in more detail. You can also ask for an INTERNAL REVIEW, when another Council Officer will look at my decision.
Or you may choose to APPEAL and your case will be heard at an Independent Tribunal"

peter999

[Deleted User]

lindsaygalaxy wrote: »

Hi

I just wanted to say thank you for this thread. It has encouraged me to get my rent looked at by a rent officer. Where I love it is very expensive and my 2 bed costs me £775 a month (£180 a week) but they seem to think i should be able to get one for £560 ( £130) a week. I would like to see them try! That only just covers a one bed flat and i have a daughter so we need a 2 bed.

thanks for all the posts on here![/

Good luck with your re assessment.. Let us know how you get on!!!