Retired on SP , PC and PiP. Bedroom tax - what now ?

calcotti

Jeffoxon said:

Thats weird, because the HA were the first people i called to mention i should no longer be paying the tax, and they told me to speak to the council, as i posted earlier, which means the HA already knew i should not be paying  ?  Wonder why they didnt tell me at the time to just stop payments

You misunderstand what is happening. You are liable to pay rent to the housing association. You claim Housing Benefit from the council. The council work out how much Housing Benefit you are entitled to and (I infer) are paying it to the Housing Association on your behalf. Because of the 'bedroom tax' your Housing Benefit has been less than your rent so you have to pay the difference.
Until the council recalculate the Housing Benefit it is still less than your rent so there is still a shortfall that you have to pay. When the council recalculate your Housing Benefit it should then cover all of your so rent there will be nothing for you to pay (unless there is still a service charge to pay). When this happens you can stop your payments but until then the Housing Association need you to continue paying in order for them to get the full rent as it falls due.
Because the amended Housing Benefit should be backdated you should be able to request a refund from your landlord once the adjustment has been made and arrears of Housing Benefit paid.

Jeffoxon

Thanks again, thats a bit clearer.  Still, i hope they sort it soon-ish.  Over £18 a week soon adds up