Housing benefit stopped as they think I moved!

FBaby

Do you attend the Uni linked to the student accommodation in question? Because if that is the case, then that makes defending your case a bit more difficult. If not, then why would you stay there and how could you have got a place there in the first place?

artiefo

No, but its not university accomodation its just generic student accomodation, When I spoke to the staff on the phone they say they do not ask for student id over the summer months in case people are just here for summer only in term time they ask and even then they give you a month to hand it in.

The funny thing is I have been accepted to a local college myself so that should be more evidence I live here and not where they think.

Good thing to think, why would I move to student accomodation 30 miles away if I was not a student at that campus especially when theres another campus of the same university 3 miles away from where I actually live.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Whole story doesn't seem right. Only certain types of students can claim housing benefit and they would need proof of course and proof of income...

NYM

artiefo wrote: »

Not these days, when I applied for where I live now I did not have provide any proof nor did the last few places I lived all saying that they can just get the info from dwp,...

I'm sorry if I seem a bit dim, but how does the LA get the info from the DWP unless they provide them with the correct NI number/DOB/Name, to be able to identify you ?

artiefo wrote: »

And I forgot to mention part of the reason I moved here last year was because I was getting identity theft on myself including benefit letters stolen, giro stolen, credit cards and catalogs in my name.

How was this resolved ?

terryw

Do you not have the six monthly statements from the utility companies which I believe are sent even with prepay meters?

artiefo

NYM wrote: »

I'm sorry if I seem a bit dim, but how does the LA get the info from the DWP unless they provide them with the correct NI number/DOB/Name, to be able to identify you ?

How was this resolved ?

If its the same people who stole details before then they have all the correct details, I had a shared postbox and had benefit letters sent there and bank statements and even had a girocheque stolen at one point which in itself the police were useless making me wait over a year to tell me they found no one as they had no cctv evidence even though they had the name of the person cashed the giro and it was my neighbours best friend, I am still getting random debt collector letters now but at the time I just got a crime reference number and action fraud I think its called, normally the debt collectors contact me i give them these details, and I hear nothing for over a year until the debt is sold to a different debt collector and I go through the same process.

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

Whole story doesn't seem right. Only certain types of students can claim housing benefit and they would need proof of course and proof of income...

I think you may be confused since I did not claim housing benefit, someone claimed it in my name.

And we are unclear what id the person used, if they opened a false claim then theres nothing stopping them forging a letter from college, and I have confirmation from DWP that my address is correct and the actual real one, I assume that something like that has happened or months later it has only now been flagged.

But proof of income, I know from personal experience that in the past 6 years or so everywhere I have lived has not asked for proof of income and just got details from the dwp, I do live in Scotland though.

terryw wrote: »

Do you not have the six monthly statements from the utility companies which I believe are sent even with prepay meters?

Never had that with my suppliers, at most its a yearly statement.

rogerblack

artiefo wrote: »

I
And we are unclear what id the person used, if they opened a false claim then theres nothing stopping them forging a letter from college, and I have confirmation from DWP that my address is correct and the actual real one, I assume that something like that has happened or months later it has only now been flagged.

You can get all copies of information held about you both by the DWP, and the council under the data protection act.
This may be useful.

merlin68

Wind up thread i think. Giro payments went out years ago. When i claimed hb last year, they wanted everything but the kitchen sink.
Bank statements, the lot. I ended up taking a whole carrier bag full of documents.
Yes their systems maybe linked to DWP, but the council still insist that you take the hard copy down there.

specialboy

3/10 for effort, what a crap troll.

artiefo

specialboy wrote: »

3/10 for effort, what a crap troll.

1/10 for intelligence, what a idiot.

merlin68 wrote: »

Wind up thread i think. Giro payments went out years ago. When i claimed hb last year, they wanted everything but the kitchen sink.
Bank statements, the lot. I ended up taking a whole carrier bag full of documents.
Yes their systems maybe linked to DWP, but the council still insist that you take the hard copy down there.

If you cared to read what I said, I said that I had a giro stolen in the PAST, past could mean a while ago especially when I outright said I moved to current place last year, but for your information even at the time the giro was a mess up because of a payment error they issues a giro instead of bank payment even though on the system it said do not send giros because of unsafe address and I lived at that property for 3 years, also for your information I could not afford to leave and it took me a few years to save up.

Also just because you were not asked for certain information does not mean you are the norm, years ago I used to have to show bank statements and benefit letters and in recent years it has just been tenancy agreements, even when I claimed he extra top up I was not asked for bank statements so whilst your experience could be common, my experience could be common too, I mean I remember years ago when signing on having to show bank statements to claim JSA to make sure I had no savings and they do not do this anymore.

Seems a lot of effort for a wind up to write a post then reply back 11 days later doesnt it?