appealing a benefit overpayment decision

ExTeacher

A urinal bottle is always kept to hand anyway. The issue is its been going on for 18 months.

We are extending the garage and converting it in to a bathroom. It was the only space on the ground floor without live electricity. So it will cost a lot - 14k just for the exterior building plus the cost of the internal bathroom.

I will send them all the bank statements as well as proof.
Thanks

FBaby

So yoy had the £14k for at least 18 months, urgently need a bathroom downstairs but still haven't gone ahead with it? It's not surprisingly they are questioning your claims especially if your didn't declare the money transfered in the wife's account in the first place.

ExTeacher

When did I say I had £14k for 18 months? I meant the bathroom took 18 months. From getting planning permission, getting the exterior built to then getting the internals ie water pipes &
toilet etc fitted.

When I first started I had little savings

Ames

OP, can you confirm about the savings, is it 14k in total or 14k, plus the 8k in your wife's name?

What savings do you have now, have you paid for the building work?

When you talk about rent to your parents, do you mean rent or do you mean paying them for the building work?

It's not relevant what you were saving the money for. Whether or not you can get to the toilet is nothing to do with the DWP. Income Support is a benefit based on facts - your income, your savings, and status as a carer.

NeilCr

TELLIT01 wrote: »

Income Support is not payable simply on the grounds of low income. You refer to a 'benefits advisor', was that at the CAB? If so, they have got their facts very wrong.

Indeed. I think any benefits adviser CAB or not should be aware of that. However, OP does say at the time of claiming that he had very little capital and I can't see anything (to be fair I may have missed it) to say that the benefits adviser said that they would get IS on low income alone

Without knowing the actual facts of the original advice it is hard to say whether or not it was very wrong. I do have to say, from bitter experience, that sometimes benefits advice (and other) is dependent on the information you are given. Which is why I always say "from what you have told me"

Sounds like, as others have said, that the bank accounts hold the key. I still think help with the appeal - assuming the MR is successful - would be good. There's a lot going on here

ETA. Totally agree with you that it looks like the IS claim is in the wife's name

FBaby

£11,000 worth of over-payment is two years IS payment for a couple.

"Money has been transferred to another account. I'm assuming the claimant has another account which is unknown so I have to assume that the capital savings are at the maximum limit."

It sounds as if they believe you have deliberately transferred money to another account and kept it secret for the purpose of building savings whilst still relieving IS. They have therefore assumed that the total amount most be more than £16K hence taking it all back.

dippy3103

Have you been claiming housing benefit?

TheNickster

dippy3103 wrote: »

Have you been claiming housing benefit?

He presumably owns the house and having an extension built in order to make his home MS friendly.

It looks as if financing the building work might be in conflict with his benefit claims.

But we don't have enough info to jump to conclusions.

marliepanda

TheNickster wrote: »

He presumably owns the house and having an extension built in order to make his home MS friendly.

It looks as if financing the building work might be in conflict with his benefit claims.

But we don't have enough info to jump to conclusions.

He lives in his parents house. That much we know.,

TheNickster

marliepanda wrote: »

He lives in his parents house. That much we know.,

Can you claim housing benefit if living with parents?