What does "non-recoverable" mean exactly?

mcmumma

Hi everyone

Thanks to the information I found here (I will credit the exact thread asap) I appealed a three year alleged over-payment of Council Tax Reduction and Housing Benefit that the Council said I owed because I didn't disclose Child Tax Credits back in 2016.
After 13 weeks I got my local Councillor involved and within 2 days they had a decision.

I received a very confusing letter with language I didn't quite understand - but the Councillor's assistant assured me it was good news.

But today I got my Housing Benefit and they are still taking off the overpayment so I am confused now.

Can you guys help me with this? Does this part of the letter mean that yes I did win my appeal and they can't make me pay back the thousands of pounds they were demanding?

"I have determined that our decision of 05/07/2019 calculated benefit entitlement correctly as the correct income from Child Tax Credit is recorded on your claim. The reasons for the creation of the overpayment stem from the non-communication of Child Tax Credit changes from the DWP. I have decided that the Housing Benefit overpayment and the Council Tax Reduction award adjustments should not be recovered as it would not be reasonable to assume that you, as the claimant, would be able to note the error from the information displayed on our decision notices.

I have therefore made the Overpayment of Housing Benefit created on 05/07/2019 non-recoverable. "

Thanks guys - I really look forward to what you've got to say...

Many thanks
Karina

System

It means that they won’t recover it. So whatever overpayment was created on that date is not recoverable . You may still have other overpayments from other dates . They are basically saying the overpayment created on that date was not your fault, therefore you do not have to pay it back.

calcotti

If the letter is very recent it may simply be that the Housing Benefit award has not yet been updated to reflect this new decision.

TELLIT01

Contact the councillor again. They should be in a position to get answers more quickly than you can.

mcmumma

Thanks so much everyone - I have contacted the councillor again and they are looking into it for me. I hope you are right calcotti that it's just that they haven't done the new calculations yet!