Help uc risk review team verification of housing costs

ashleynolan024

Hi
I had a telephone call last week asking for proof of tenancy agreement or letter from landlord to verify housing costs during covid however i left on bad terms with the landlord and now he is refusing to give me a tenancy agreement or letter to confirm housing costs what can i do and will i be prosecuted if i cant provide the proof or will i just simply have to repay the £2500 which will have been overpaid in housing costs as i am panicking that they will take me to court for it thanks in advance 

poppy12345

You will be asked to repay the housing element but you won't be prosecuted. Did you not keep a copy of your tenancy agreement?

calcotti

You will not be taken to court. As you say the worst that could happen is that you are required to repay what you have been paid. The first step is to explain to UC why you cannot provide the necessary information. Have you got absolutely no paperwork in connection with the tenancy?

I hope you've got an agreement for wherever you are living now.

maisie_cat

Do you have emails, PMs and/or texts either from when you first took the place or when you left?

ashleynolan024

I have proof of paying rent through bank statements but a lot of the communication between me and the former landlord was face to face and there were weeks where i paid in cash and others through my bank i verified through the risk review team with bank statements the first time and they verified the housing element only for them to ask for it to be reverified this time by a tenancy agreement

sammyjammy

ashleynolan024 said:

I have proof of paying rent through bank statements but a lot of the communication between me and the former landlord was face to face and there were weeks where i paid in cash and others through my bank i verified through the risk review team with bank statements the first time and they verified the housing element only for them to ask for it to be reverified this time by a tenancy agreement

That would have been because of COVID to assist people and get payments made as easily as possible, you haven't answered the question about having a tenancy agreement but i guess the answer is no.

ashleynolan024

I was never given a tenancy agreement to start with but have proof of payment to the landlord whilst i lived there

poppy12345

ashleynolan024 said:

I was never given a tenancy agreement to start with but have proof of payment to the landlord whilst i lived there

Were you living with your landlord?

ashleynolan024 said:

there were weeks where i paid in cash

You said here ^^ you paid in cash some weeks so how can you prove this? When you paid in cash was it always the same amount you withdrew from your bank?

ashleynolan024

I work as a taxi driver so it was cash takings that were used to pay him

ashleynolan024

He was a live out landlord but it was a hmo registered with the local authority

tomtom256

ashleynolan024 said:

I work as a taxi driver so it was cash takings that were used to pay him

Cash takings, during lockdown? Seems a bit odd.

If they are asking for a tenancy agreement, thats what they wan't. Should they deem you had no housing costs, you can ask for an MR and an appeal if the MR is unsucessful.