No DSS tenants

FreeBear

csgohan4 said: Can you both link your sources to see which is correct

Payment of rent direct to landlords - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-alternative-payment-arrangements

Recovery of overpayments, including fraud - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-benefit-overpayments-guide

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

csgohan4

pickledonionspaceraider said:

It is about time the government brought the LA rates up to match the rents in the local area.  It really is inequality if one tenant is in a Council place - getting their rent completely covered,  and one in a private rented having to find £30 a week out of £62 benefit.
It is a massive injustice

It is so hard for people to find a home.  The whole 'No DWP' thing, it is as offensive to an entire group

Injustice to who? the taxpayer or the private tenant who pays more?

If you want the HB to increase, where do you think it will come from? Council tax, income tax e.t.c? There's injustice and then there's sustainability in a broken but tries to do a one size fits all approach. 

If you want injustice, try other developed countries which offer no such HB or benefits as such  and your left to fend for yourself, while the UK system is not perfect, it certainly is not the worst. Governments have tried and failed, because people generally want more, but at what cost. 

A taxpayer cannot have it both ways, reduced taxes and more help for those in need. But if you raise taxes too much, it becomes unpopular and rightly so. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth, they worked hard through their lives to get a decent income only to be given large tax bills, which by no means is as bad as say the French. 

pickledonionspaceraider

csgohan4 said:

pickledonionspaceraider said:

It is about time the government brought the LA rates up to match the rents in the local area.  It really is inequality if one tenant is in a Council place - getting their rent completely covered,  and one in a private rented having to find £30 a week out of £62 benefit.
It is a massive injustice

It is so hard for people to find a home.  The whole 'No DWP' thing, it is as offensive to an entire group

Injustice to who? the taxpayer or the private tenant who pays more?

If you want the HB to increase, where do you think it will come from? Council tax, income tax e.t.c? There's injustice and then there's sustainability in a broken but tries to do a one size fits all approach. 

If you want injustice, try other developed countries which offer no such HB or benefits as such  and your left to fend for yourself, while the UK system is not perfect, it certainly is not the worst. Governments have tried and failed, because people generally want more, but at what cost. 

A taxpayer cannot have it both ways, reduced taxes and more help for those in need. But if you raise taxes too much, it becomes unpopular and rightly so. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon in their mouth, they worked hard through their lives to get a decent income only to be given large tax bills, which by no means is as bad as say the French. 

It is an injustice to not allow people to have a home. To be allowed to discriminate in such a way 'No DSS' it rules out an entire group of people in the same way it would if it said 'No blacks or Irish'.  It is discrimination and inhumane to not allow someone a home. Basic human needs. Not sure why it would need explaining in such simple terms to anyone

Or allow them a home, but force them straight into poverty.  If a person has to make up the rent shortfall out of their ESA, for example, it would leave them with not enough to pay bills and buy food and medication, bus fare to hospital appointments.  Just the basic stuff.  It is an injustice to these people.  

It is an injustice to those forced in to private rent and have to struggle to find the money out of their benefits, whilst those in council accommodation do not have to do this

It is not really a case of 'want' - these people,  they need more. People need to be able to pay for the minimum cost of living and not live in poverty

People need to not be ostracised if they fall upon bad times and end up on benefits.

I never said I wanted reduced taxes, but I appreciate your thoughts

I know not everyone is brought up with a silver spoon in their mouths, - pretty much the point I am making

What a glorious country we live in, that we work and pay our taxes, and rest assured that if we become ill, disabled or redundant, there is the welfare system to help us not starve to death...possibly..

This country is full of haves, and have nots.  

theartfullodger

Well done Shelter, helping getting the "No DSS" overturned! People on benefits shouldn't be discriminated against.

Artful: In receipt of 6 benefits, thank you, you generous tax-payers you!

pickledonionspaceraider

theartfullodger said:

Well done Shelter, helping getting the "No DSS" overturned! People on benefits shouldn't be discriminated against.

Artful: In receipt of 6 benefits, thank you, you generous tax-payers you!

lol Oh god don't say that, there will be uproar.   Brewing a cup of Yorkshire tea

FreeBear

pickledonionspaceraider said:  It is not really a case of 'want' - these people,  they need more. People need to be able to pay for the minimum cost of living and not live in poverty

Couldn't agree more. Their situation isn't helped, when for no fault of their own, the DWP decides to cut their benefits or make a pig's ear of handling their claim - Currently helping a young lad out with a HB claim. The DWP had been notified of a change in his circumstances on Jan 1st. It was only this week that they told him what paperwork he needed to take to the Job Centre... Two months on, he might get a backdated payment to cover his rent arrears.

And if you think the taxes we pay are at the lowest for X years, you will be shocked to find that the tax burden has been steadily increasing since the 1900s. Once income tax, national insurance, VAT, Council Tax, and all the other taxes are taken in to account, we are paying around 38% of GDP to the government.

pickledonionspaceraider

FreeBear said:

pickledonionspaceraider said:  It is not really a case of 'want' - these people,  they need more. People need to be able to pay for the minimum cost of living and not live in poverty

Couldn't agree more. Their situation isn't helped, when for no fault of their own, the DWP decides to cut their benefits or make a pig's ear of handling their claim - Currently helping a young lad out with a HB claim. The DWP had been notified of a change in his circumstances on Jan 1st. It was only this week that they told him what paperwork he needed to take to the Job Centre... Two months on, he might get a backdated payment to cover his rent arrears.

And if you think the taxes we pay are at the lowest for X years, you will be shocked to find that the tax burden has been steadily increasing since the 1900s. Once income tax, national insurance, VAT, Council Tax, and all the other taxes are taken in to account, we are paying around 38% of GDP to the government.

I know what you mean, not surprised by the length of time it has already taken for your friend.  I've been in a similar situation.
I don't think the taxes we are paying are at the lowest - they do feel quite high when I look at my wage slip - but I don't begrudge it in the sense that we help people who need it, and in turn, it might help me one day.
  

millwalls

theartfullodger said:

Artful: In receipt of 6 benefits, thank you, you generous tax-payers you!

Haha, worth one Daily Mail outrage article at least! 

Cakeguts

The lady in the article with the 3 children was a really bad example of this situation and a very good example of someone who made terrible life choices. 

The whole situation was her fault.  She had 3 children and no savings.  Basically she and her husband did not plan for how they would pay for those children to have somewhere to live if they split up or one of them got ill.  Better family planning and more saving would have meant that she did not need to claim benefits or possibly even rent. 

The whole article annoys me because it implies that landlords have got to take people who can't afford the rent.  Many people would like to rent a mansion in a very expensive area but if they can't afford to the landlord should not be forced to let them.  Taking away no benefit tenants from an advert doesn't increase the choice of those tenants because they will all fail the affordability test or the landlord won't choose them as tenants.  

Some people have unrealistic expectations of what a private landlord will put up with.

ElephantBoy57

It is NOT recoverable from the landlord when - "LA are satisfied that the landlord has not colluded with the claimant so as to cause the overpayment, or acted or neglected to act so as to contribute to the period or amount of the overpayment."