Housing benefit overpayment- URGENT

NYM

tucia wrote: »

the bill is exactly £13,433.16 and cover 19 months

Private rental ?
Did you have your name taken off the tenancy agreement ?
Where is your mail delivered ?
Do you pay CT where you're living now ?
What arrangements do you have for paying Child Maintenance ?

tucia

NYM wrote: »

Private rental ?
Did you have your name taken off the tenancy agreement ?
Where is your mail delivered ?
Do you pay CT where you're living now ?
What arrangements do you have for paying Child Maintenance ?

it is private rental and landlord knows that I moved out but I don't think from the moment I really moved out. She has changed my name on CT bill this same time as on HB which was 19 months after I moved out.
I don't have permanent address at the moment. I live with friends. I don't have any bills.
I am paying maintenance every month - cash to her.

NYM

tucia wrote: »

it is private rental and landlord knows that I moved out but I don't think from the moment I really moved out. She has changed my name on CT bill this same time as on HB which was 19 months after I moved out.
I don't have permanent address at the moment. I live with friends. I don't have any bills.
I am paying maintenance every month - cash to her.

All sounds very odd.
Would you have been entitled to HB if you were still living there ?

Maybe the Council think you're not really living elsewhere and your income would exceed HB entitlement ?

You shouldn't pay cash for Child Maintenance. Your wife could make a formal claim with the CMS and you'll have no proof that you've been paying anything so could find you'll have a massive bill for that as well.

tucia

NYM wrote: »

All sounds very odd.
Would you have been entitled to HB if you were still living there ?

Maybe the Council think you're not really living elsewhere and your income would exceed HB entitlement ?

You shouldn't pay cash for Child Maintenance. Your wife could make a formal claim with the CMS and you'll have no proof that you've been paying anything so could find you'll have a massive bill for that as well.

Well if I would live there we would be entitle to HB. Now she is by herself with 4 kids ( only 3 are mine) and she is entitle to higher rate.
What is CMS?

NYM

I meant Child Maintenance Service but I believe the correct acronym is CSA ?
Read this forum for some guidance http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=140

As for the HB overpayment, maybe the best you could hope for is that the Council will assess what your wife would have been entitled to if she was on her own, and deduct it from the 'overpayment' they've presented you with.

tucia

I just spoke with council. They cant do anything else. They sending my case to the Tribunal They said they can listen to me there and then they will decided if I have to pay back or not.
I am worried now. I don't know what to expect.

Poppie68

It sounds like they still suspect you have lived in the property during the time the £13,000 was paid, and due to your income the household wasn't entitled to housing benefit.
You say you have been sofa surfing all this time? No bills anywhere? And paying her Child Support in cash.....it all sounds rather suspect and that's what they seem to think as well.

tucia

Poppie68 wrote: »

You say you have been sofa surfing all this time? No bills anywhere? And paying her Child Support in cash.....it all sounds rather suspect and that's what they seem to think as well.

I was renting rooms with all bills included so I didn't have to pay anything myself. This is nothing bad. I was looking for the cheapest option because I couldn't afford to rent anything. I was happy as long as I had roof over my head and bed to sleep.
I don't have many bills. Bank is online, phone on the card. Is that wrong? Does it mean that I am doing something doggy?


I had one contract for renting room for a while.

MoneyMission2015

Do you have proof of the payments you have made to rent a room? Was it paid via the bank from your account in to your landlords account and was it clearly labelled as Rent payment? If you have this then at least it shows you have paid rent somewhere else, which might help towards your argument. Not saying it will but worth checking.

tucia

we will still receive HB if I would live there.
They said that only main claimant is responsible for overpayment. Is that true?


In worst scenario I will have to claim bankruptcy. I don't have £13k. this is unreal amount for me!!!