DRO and housing benefit

Sjtyler

Hi
I am due to submit a DRO next week, all paid for etc. I have just had letter from housing benefit (wokingham) to say that been suspended as a possible over payment. Cut is like to only be a max of £200 I think, should I try and include this in my DRO? Just worries they will then !!!! down my claim and I will have to make a new one... if this is the case then I think I may be forced onto universal credit as a new claim? I know I need to call them to ask I suppose. Any advice?

Thanks

ToxtethO'Grady

Who is your intermediary for your DRO? They should be able to give the best advice.


HB overpayments can be difficult to deal with depending on who received it you or your landlord? Is your landlord the council, a housing association or a private landlord?


If it's you then you can include it in the DRO and it would be written off.


If your housing association or private landlord received it if you include it in the DRO the council can go to your landlord to reclaim the money so you'd be in arrears then and they could look to end your tenancy

fatbelly

They should generate an invoice. When they do you can include that in your DRO so I suggest waiting for that to arrive.

Do you still have an ongoing award of HB? If so that will continue and they will start to make a deduction against it for the overpayment. I see £11.10 a week usually.

Sjtyler

The housing benefit it paid to me. I rent privately. My claim will hopefully continue. I am just worried they will shut down that claim and ask me to make a new one, which I think would force me to move over to universal credit,
Which I want to avoid

fatbelly

Sjtyler wrote: »

The housing benefit it paid to me. I rent privately. My claim will hopefully continue. I am just worried they will shut down that claim and ask me to make a new one, which I think would force me to move over to universal credit,
Which I want to avoid

That could happen if they've decided they shouldn't have been paying you at all. But if it's just a case of the amount being wrong for a few weeks then that is just an overpayment that they can reclaim from an existing award and you should stay on HB.

Mind you managed migration to UC starts next year.