Overpayment of housing benefit

moyra

While I was in a women’s refuge last year I was sent a letter about an overpayment of housing benefit at my marital home.This was deferred for 3months until I was rehoused.Its getting paid at £20 a month but seems the council want more .The claim was in my name but the overpayment was due to my husband’s private pension details not being handed in.
Firstly he was sent by me to the office to hand these in but being alcohol dependent didn’t hand them in and secondly it took them a year to tell me.
Is there anyway I would be able to get the outstanding balance halved? I’m not disputing it was in my name but don’t see why I should pay it all,my husband has been deceased since November 2017

dippy3103

Who was all the HB letters addressed to- the named claimant?

Afraid_of_Kittens

moyra wrote: »

While I was in a women’s refuge last year I was sent a letter about an overpayment of housing benefit at my marital home.This was deferred for 3months until I was rehoused.Its getting paid at £20 a month but seems the council want more .The claim was in my name but the overpayment was due to my husband’s private pension details not being handed in.
Firstly he was sent by me to the office to hand these in but being alcohol dependent didn’t hand them in and secondly it took them a year to tell me.
Is there anyway I would be able to get the outstanding balance halved? I’m not disputing it was in my name but don’t see why I should pay it all,my husband has been deceased since November 2017

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/696191/hbopg-part-4-recovery-of-overpayments.pdf

4.00 A recoverable HB overpayment can be recovered from
• the claimant
• a person acting on the claimant’s behalf and/or
• the person to whom it was paid

The overpayment is recoverable from you as the claimant. It won't be halved. It isn't the Council's fault you received too much Housing Benefit. You knew about the pension as you sent your late husband to the council with the details. You must have realised when you continued to receive the same amount of benefit that the details had not been received or not acted upon if received.

Afraid_of_Kittens

You can argue that increasing the overpayment rate is causing hardship and ask for it to be reduced.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/696191/hbopg-part-4-recovery-of-overpayments.pdf

Reduction of recovery rate

4.272 Consider lowering the overpayment recovery rate when a claimant is suffering hardship. It may be necessary to
ask the claimant for details of their income and expenditure in order to make the decision. You may wish to
develop a locally used proforma for this purpose.