Universal Credit - capital and housing costs

Muttleythefrog

poppy12345 said:

Muttleythefrog said:

calcotti said:

Muttleythefrog said:..- given I currently have Limited Capability for Work Related Activity and indeed would have a continuing claim with the equivalent element included in a Contribution based ESA claim. 

Your opening post only mentions UC. To be clear, do you currently also have an active claim for contribution based ESA?

Yes... about a year ago I applied for U/C while in Support group of IR-ESA and so switched to Contrib based ESA (which had underlying entitlement to) and U/C. Also get PIP.  

That's not exactly correct. Part of your ESA was contributions based, with the income related top up. When you claimed UC this ended the Income related part but you kept the Contributions based.

Interesting.... the ESA letters have been incorrect then in specifically, before the U/C application, describing the total amount as Income related. Very misleading if the case and has led to goodness knows how many false descriptions of my income including to council and Home Office. Mind you I've also incorrectly stated it because for 5 years they paid the wrong amount anyway and have recently backdated.

poppy12345

They're not exactly incorrect but they are notoriously difficult to understand.

Muttleythefrog

poppy12345 said:

They're not exactly incorrect but they are notoriously difficult to understand.

The last one I have scanned on my system states "Which gives a total income related amount £130.65" and "Your income related amount is £130.65" and "So your income-related entitlement is £130.65" . It couldn't be clearer and entirely incorrect (assuming you are not).

poppy12345

poppy12345 said:

they are notoriously difficult to understand.

Yup, which is exactly why i said this ^^

Muttleythefrog

poppy12345 said:

poppy12345 said:

they are notoriously difficult to understand.

Yup, which is exactly why i said this ^^

Interestingly I've just been back to the phone call recording regarding the ESA changes (at time application for U/C) and they also are misleading. However deep lying in my electronic diary records is this entry "8/6/2011=Queried ESA being classed taxable - turns out receiving contribution based indefinitely (£99 approx) plus income related element. Officially regard as income related." You live and learn.... I suppose thankfully a bit simpler now as entirely C-based.

Spoonie_Turtle

I think I've mentioned before, but my entirely contributions-based New-Style ESA letters also refer to income
(Can't get the embedding image to work on mobile, so here's the link) https://i.imgur.com/YV56603.jpg
They say I 'would have been entitled to X income-related amount, however because I'm entitled to contributions-based ESA they'll pay me X amount' [old amounts without the Support Group component].  Bizarre!

Muttleythefrog

Spoonie_Turtle said:

I think I've mentioned before, but my entirely contributions-based New-Style ESA letters also refer to income
(Can't get the embedding image to work on mobile, so here's the link) https://i.imgur.com/YV56603.jpg
They say I 'would have been entitled to X income-related amount, however because I'm entitled to contributions-based ESA they'll pay me X amount' [old amounts without the Support Group component].  Bizarre!

lol.... yeah the C-based letter to me, as well as yours, is confusing. I presume the system has templates and anything needing improvement has never seen it due to the 'difficulties of doing so'.

sammyjammy

Muttleythefrog said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

I think I've mentioned before, but my entirely contributions-based New-Style ESA letters also refer to income
(Can't get the embedding image to work on mobile, so here's the link) https://i.imgur.com/YV56603.jpg
They say I 'would have been entitled to X income-related amount, however because I'm entitled to contributions-based ESA they'll pay me X amount' [old amounts without the Support Group component].  Bizarre!

lol.... yeah the C-based letter to me, as well as yours, is confusing. I presume the system has templates and anything needing improvement has never seen it due to the 'difficulties of doing so'.

Its not necessarily the difficulties of doing so its more a case of money and more important changes being considered first.  There is also the matter that these are legal letters and the wording is required meet those legal requirements which in itself will make them confusing!

datec66

With regards to your service charges question, you'll provide evidence of a breakdown of your service charges which will/should be passed to a decision maker.  They'll decide what's eligible and what's not and your case manager will pay what's eligible.  All very simple, or should be anyway.

Muttleythefrog

Addition to my queries here as somewhat related to those of which some became redundant.

I have sold my house and moved in with parents as anticipated pending a purchase. I have found that purchase property and am in the process of buying it but it is likely many months from completion due to chain.

We receive Universal Credit and have reported change of address. I have requested now in my journal 3 times including well in advance of receiving house sale proceeds that a Decision Maker look at the situation and advise. I have now stated the sale proceeds have been received and asked for that 3rd time they look at our case to determine if capital disregard can apply for 6 months (or more) and how I go about that in terms of evidence and procedure. I have received no responses. I am reluctant to use the report change of savings standard option for fear I might get a standard response of non entitlement and I would presume the functionality behind the option hasn't been well written to accommodate such situations as this. 

Any advice other than gambling by making a call next week to someone who might be as well wide of the correct advice as the last idiot (I'll spare the details but an unrelated matter of carer) I spoke to on their helpline?