Warm homes discount

Spoonie_Turtle

grumpyoldwoman said:

Spoonie_Turtle said:

grumpyoldwoman said:

Does Council tax support come under the housing benefit umbrella or is it a separate entity? We've received WHD as the broader group because we get full council tax support and have less than £16,000 income. We don't get housing benefit as we own our home so I'm confused as to whether it's classed in the same way. Being almost all electric I've worked out our fuel bills will be over £5000 come January. We're retired so at home most of the time.

Council Tax Support is a different benefit.

If you're both pensioners and haven't done so recently, it may be worth doing a benefits calculation just to see if you're entitled to any Pension Credit - may well not be, but surely worth the few mins just to make sure you're not accidentally missing out.
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/
https://benefits-calculator.turn2us.org.uk/

We don't qualify for pension credit, we get about £5 a week more than pension credit level. We used to get it when my husband first retired because I wasn't working and his pension was topped up, but when I got my pension it took us to just over the level so we stopped getting it and it's been like that since. 
The support we get is means tested, we have to show that our income plus any extra they deem we get from savings is less than the applicable amount, and it is. I suppose we'll just have to see what happens.

That's frustrating to be just over the threshold.

CTS is indeed means-tested but it's an anomaly in that each council can set its own slightly different rules.  The benefits that qualify for the WHD are each assessed consistently, according to the same set of rules nationwide.

Chrysalis

Some more info.

The maths has been done, this data is approximate as some rounding up and down was done.  Remember that you have to have low income and projected high energy use based on their formula.

Roughly 32% of all low income bill payers to be eligible for WHD core group 2. Yes this is only around 1/3.  
Larger floor spacing makes it more likely as floor space is a big part of the formula.  With losest been at 7% of low income billpayers in flats and highest been at 88% of fully detached, however even the 2nd biggest property type semi detached is under 50% with a 47% of low income bill payers been eligible for WHD core group 2.

deannagone

Thank you for this Chrysallis, I posted another thread today on WHD but obviously didn't use the right search criteria when I searched the forum first somehow, didn't find this thread.  But yes, I can see a lot of people who did get WHD Group 2, won't now.  I live in a very cold maisonette, council won't do anything about it, there's a limit to what I can do.., old double glazing is draughty, old front and back doors draughty, no roof I can insulate.  First two items actually need replacing but of course with social housing that isn't going to happen.

I suspect from the criteria my property will be considered a flat, and few of those are considered 'expensive to heat'.  Its not a flat, its one house below another so has many of the characteristics of a house (but no roof).  But that won't make any difference to a computer database.

grumpyoldwoman

Got a pleasant surprise today when the post arrived, a voucher for £100 from the Household Support Fund. We got it because we're pensioners and in receipt of Council Tax Support. So if we don't manage to get WHD this year at least it's something, and gratefully received. 

NedS

We received an email from our energy supplier today to say we have qualified and will receive the WHD £150 payment by Dec 2022. We fall under Core Group 2.

JohnPo

We received a letter today from HM Government - letter type 'WHDS3' confirming eligibility.  We are below state pension age so it it is based income /  property characteristics

JohnP

KxMx

I've got my fingers crossed but not expecting it as I live in a flat, and the estimate is only 7% of flats will qualify.
The rooms are big as is the overall footprint, which is why i'm hoping I may be classed as expensive to heat. Even though i'm only a one bed my Aunt's 2 bed bungalow is much more compact and would fit in here with room to spare.

Chrysalis

KxMx said:

I've got my fingers crossed but not expecting it as I live in a flat, and the estimate is only 7% of flats will qualify.
The rooms are big as is the overall footprint, which is why i'm hoping I may be classed as expensive to heat. Even though i'm only a one bed my Aunt's 2 bed bungalow is much more compact and would fit in here with room to spare.

You know how old the building is? as age is a factor as well.  Fingers crossed for you regardless of the odds.

michaels

NedS said:

We received an email from our energy supplier today to say we have qualified and will receive the WHD £150 payment by Dec 2022. We fall under Core Group 2.

Could you share which supplier?

WE normally apply and get but of course this year it has gone very Kafkaesque with a completely hidden process and you only know you haven't got it if you don't receive it by a date that has not been confirmed....

NedS

michaels said:

NedS said:

We received an email from our energy supplier today to say we have qualified and will receive the WHD £150 payment by Dec 2022. We fall under Core Group 2.

Could you share which supplier?

I'm with OVO