Pension credit problem

AnnieP6

Having completed the online questionnaire, both MSE and the Pension Service, we discovered we should be entitled to pension credit. We applied in January to claim from 1 February.
On the application, we gave full details of our income, savings and housing costs (ground rent and maintenance charges).

Eventually we were told we were not entitled to Pension Credit as we have no housing costs!

We telephoned the Pension Credit Office and told them we were paying an annual ground rent and monthly maintenance charges and had completed the application form accordingly. We were advised to apply for a Reconsideration, which we did.
We received a telephone call asking for a breakdown of our housing costs, which we sent to them the same day.

Having waited for weeks, we rang them to ask how long a decision would take, only to be told they don’t give a time.

It seems a long time since our application in a January and we have no idea what to do next.

Have others had problems like this and how was it resolved, please?

calcotti

I didn’t think Pension Credit included any help with housing costs (although it is intended to in future). I thought help with rent and allowable charges would be through Housing Benefit.

Alice_Holt

From Age UK
"4.4 Housing costs

If you own your home and pay a mortgage, home loan, or other housing related charges, you may be eligible for extra amounts within PC. If other
adults live with you (‘non-dependants’), they may be expected to
contribute towards costs, even if they do not and deductions from your
benefit may be made. If you jointly own the property with someone other
than your partner, you only get help with your share of the costs.

This is a complex area with many exceptions. You may want to seek
further advice from Age UK Advice or a local advice service.

Service charges
If you have to pay service charges as a condition of living in your home,
your appropriate minimum guarantee can include help towards some of
these. Reasonable charges for the following are eligible:
 services for the provision of adequate accommodation including some
warden and caretaker services, gardens, lifts, entry phones, portering,
rubbish removal, TV and radio relay charges
 laundry facilities like a laundry room in a sheltered housing scheme but
not personal laundry services
 cleaning of communal areas and windows
 minor repairs and maintenance (not major repairs and improvements -
you may get help with interest on a loan to pay for these, see below)
 home insurance if it has to be paid under the terms of the lease.
Service charges for community/emergency alarms, personal care and
support services are not covered. You may be able to get help with this
support from your local authority.
If you apply for help with service charges, you may be asked to supply
documentary evidence; for example accounts, invoices and a breakdown
of the charges. The amount of eligible service charges are converted into
a weekly amount and added to your appropriate minimum guarantee.

Example
Phyllis pays £590 a year in service charges. A breakdown shows
this is all for eligible services, apart from £70 for an alarm system
that is deducted. The remaining £520 is divided by 52, so a weekly
amount of £10 is added to her appropriate minimum guarantee.

Ground rent and other housing costs
You can get help with other housing costs through PC including:
 ground rent if you have a lease of more than 21 years
 payments under a co-ownership scheme
 rent if you are a Crown tenant (minus any water charges)
 payments for a tent and its pitch, if that is your home.
The normal weekly charge for these costs is added to your appropriate
minimum guarantee. If the charges are payable annually, the weekly
amount is worked out by dividing the annual amount by 52."

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

calcotti

Thanks Alice - I didn’t know any of that.

AnnieP6

That was very helpful Alice Holt. Yes we should qualify for ground rent and maintenance charges - as was shown when we used the calculators.
I think we need to call them yet again. In fact, when we rang about the reconsideration, the lady told us they must reply in 10 days - about 3 weeks ago!

MedSec27

We applied in February and after much toing and froing and sending documentation twice as they said they had not received it, we finally got a decision in May of this year some 17 weeks since applying. We now await a decision as to whether they will assist with our mortgage payments and ground rent etc. I expect we will wait a further 17 weeks and hopefully it will be backdated.

AnnieP6

I appreciate they must be busy, particularly with applications from people who were not aware of Pension Credit before the recent BBC decision regarding TV licences. It seems incredible to have to wait for so long when their own calculator shows us that we have entitlement.
The last time we called them, they said our latest documents had not been scanned so did not appear on the officer’s screen but the fact that we had called should ensure a reply within 14 days.
Still waiting.
I’m sure there must be pensioners in an even more difficult position than us who will be suffering hardship if they have had to wait almost 6 months to get it sorted.

AnnieP6

Sorry, not sure now whether they said 10 or 14 days for a reply. Too long ago!

AnnieP6

Having made our application in January, claiming from 1 February (see original post), we received a letter yesterday (16 July), awarding us Pension Credit and we have received a payment backdated to 1 February.
I thought I would update you - never give up!
Thanks again to all who replied.

MedSec27

Congratulations AnniP6, we still await whether they will assist with our housing costs and maintenance charges, it is now coming up to 23 weeks of waiting. Will give them another week and will call them only to be given the same excuse as always !!! Feb up.

AnnieP6

Do hope your application is successful, MedSec27, and completed soon.