How do i get Housing Benefit?

Alice_Holt

Ahh, I can see from your OP that you do receive Child Tax Credits (CTC)

When you claim UC - you should be eligible for the Child Element providing:
"Your Universal Credit will include a child element if you are responsible for a child or qualifying young person who normally lives with you."
https://www.turn2us.org.uk/Benefit-guides/Universal-Credit/Additional-Elements-of-Universal-Credit#guide-content
This is £277 a month.

When you claim UC, the CTC will stop.
Because of the delay in UC payments, you may need to request a UC advance payment
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/get-advance-payment/

Alice_Holt

kie101 wrote: »

I have not heard of "carers element of Universal Credit" but isnt this the same condition as carers allowance? the person who i cared for was turned down on their last evaluation so they are re-appealing that decision and we are still waiting to hear back and that could take along time, i am getting CTC and she is 9 years old, i also get special guardians allowance which is just topped on top of child benefit.

I could try talking to CAB i don't have one near by but i will try do what i can.

Thanks.

Ahh, Sorry yes the person cared for does need to be in receipt of DLA, AA, or PIP - is this the decision they are appealing.

Are they getting help with their appeal?

UC work seeking responsibilities (until the appeal is - hopefully - successful) should take account of your caring responsibilities for both your sister and the person you care for.
Re your sister - With UC I think you should be only expected to look for work in term time and part time during school hours. But please check this with your CAB.
It can also depend on your DWP work coach.

Apologies - I didn't read your OP correctly.

calcotti

Alice_Holt wrote: »

Ahh, Sorry yes the person cared for does need to be in receipt of DLA, AA, or PIP - is this the decision they are appealing.

Curiously UC is not completely definitive about this. See https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/661570/admf6.pdf

Meaning of severely disabled person
F6030 “Severely disabled person” is not defined for this aspect of the UC regulations but it could be taken to mean a person for whom
1. AA or
2. the care component of DLA at the highest or middle rate or
3. CAA payable as
3.1 an increase of IIDB or
3.2 an increase of an old scheme allowance or
3.3 an increase of WC or
3.4 a WDisP or
4. AFIP or
5. the daily living component of PIP at the standard or enhanced rate
is payable provided that it is payable at a weekly rate of at least that specified in legislation.

In theory this gives the decision maker some discretion about whether or not to award the carer element. In practice I think it would surprising if a decision maker departed from this interpretation.

pmlindyloo

Are you receiving HB at the moment?

calcotti

If you receive HB already you can continue to receive it and your entitlement can be recalculated to reflect changed circumstances. If you do not already receive HB you cannot make a new claim in a UC area and would have to claim UC to get help with your rent.

EDITED to correct typo as pointed out by pmlindyloo below! Thanks pmlindyloo.

pmlindyloo

calcotti wrote: »

If you receive HB already you can continue to receive it and your entitlement can be recalculated to reflect changed circumstances. If you do already receive HB you cannot make a new claim in a UC area and would have to claim a UC to get help with your rent.

Think you missed out 'not'

NeilCr

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Are you receiving HB at the moment?

Good question.

I read the OP and took it that they weren't. But looking more closely at the posts they do seem a bit contradictory so now I am not so sure.

kie101 - my reply was based on you not claiming HB at the moment. As Calcotti says if you are receiving HB it can continue even if recalculated.

kie101

Hi thanks for replying back, i was receiving housing benefit and technically i think i still am for at least a few more weeks but as my income support stopped my other benefits i assumed would stop so i rang my housing association to talk about it today and they said they were not sure themselves but they received a payment recently for H/B on the 14th so i should be ok they advised if i could just claim H/B as my income support has stopped and they also said i will receive H/B for abit longer until i update them on weather i am going over to U.C, i got abit confused by their answer but my housing association advised me to see if i could just apply for H/B or if not go onto U.C and update them asap.

i have tried applying by phone line for H.B but it always puts me through to apply for U.C so i did an application on my local borough website for H/B but i am doubting i will hear back, I have made an appointment for Saturday to discuss making a U.C claim as i think this may be my only choice, i will also try to see my Local CAB for any advice.

Very confusing as all i was wanting was to try keep going with my H/B but it seems like this U/C is changing over to it, thats also what i was told when i rang my local housing association that U.C is taking over of H.B now.:(

calcotti

The end of income support will not necessarily mean the end of housing benefit. Housing benefit is calculated on your income as against what you are considered to need to live off. With the loss of income support your income has gone down but you will also have lost an amount known as a carer premium in the housing benefit calculation.

Without more information it's impossible to say what you might be entitled to but it's quite possible that you will have an ongoing award.

You should not be trying to apply for Housing Benefit - you will not be able to do this. Because you already receive Housing Benefit you simply need to contact your local authority and inform them of your change of circumstances. They will recalculate your entitlement. They may already be aware of the changes because they have access to DWP data but you should tell them anyway.

If you start a UC claim your Tax Credits will end as will any Housing Benefit and there is no going back.

kie101

Thank you i got back intouch with my benefits office and they passed me onto the manager as things were unsure on their end, basically i am still on H.B until i change my benefit situation, to U.C or to Income support, they may ask for bank statements to show that i am not in receipt of any unknown payments but as far as they know i will continue to get H/B until i decide to change benefit,

Wow this was a long confusing process that only took 10 minutes with the manager at the benefits office everyone else i talked to was pretty confused, So i think for now i am actually ok in not changing anything until i hear back from being a caregiver again or if i decide to go onto U.C.

I will still attend the interview on saturday as i do have some questions about what will change if i go back onto income support with a gap in benefits but i wont be claiming U.C for now but overall i think i finally found my answer.
I am surprised by the amount of help i was given here thank you all if i get any more issues i know where to go.