Universal Credit - housing costs

Muttleythefrog

Quick query.

We get Universal Credit housing costs for maintenance fees we pay on our owned flat. Our fees have dropped a bit in the new annual assessment.

I understand that at the beginning of April they automatically send a 'To Do' to update housing costs for relevant claimants. On the phone to an agent last month they said this would happen on first of April - more fool me as it didn't and as of yet hasn't.

Can members confirm this 'To Do' will/should arise at some point early in this month or is it hard coded to the first and somehow has not worked in our case such that I'll need to make a manual change of circumstances?

devon_guy

Mine was waiting when I logged into my UC account but nothing stopping you creating a change of circs with the housing costs.

KxMx

Mine was waiting when I logged in on the 1st.

huckster

@Muttleythefrog

For your Housing, a to-do will not appear automatically. The to-do that appears automatically is for Social Rented Sector Housing such as Housing Associations.

So to report changes to Housing, report a change of circumstances to Housing and report the new fee amounts confirming the dates these apply from.

Muttleythefrog

huckster said:

@Muttleythefrog

For your Housing, a to-do will not appear automatically. The to-do that appears automatically is for Social Rented Sector Housing such as Housing Associations.

So to report changes to Housing, report a change of circumstances to Housing and report the new fee amounts confirming the dates these apply from.

So once again Universal Credit Helpline gives absolutely incorrect info... I even stated "Privately owned flat maintenance fees"

cheers!

NedS

Muttleythefrog said:

huckster said:

@Muttleythefrog

For your Housing, a to-do will not appear automatically. The to-do that appears automatically is for Social Rented Sector Housing such as Housing Associations.

So to report changes to Housing, report a change of circumstances to Housing and report the new fee amounts confirming the dates these apply from.

So once again Universal Credit Helpline gives absolutely incorrect info... I even stated "Privately owned flat maintenance fees"

cheers!

They changed the telephony system so you now go through to outsourced telephony agents (who have little to no UC knowledge or training), and all they do it create a handover to the Case Manager. In the past, phoning the UC number would take you straight through to your Case Manager (if the telephony recognised you were calling from the phone number registered on your claim).
Best to do any communication through the journal. If you need to speak with your CM, send them a journal message asking them to call you, explaining clearly why you need to speak with them. Don't expect the telephony agents to do anything more than tell your CM you've called.

Muttleythefrog

This is frustrating. So now I've gone to reporting a charge

• Where you live and what it costs
  Includes address, landlord, rent or mortgage, and service charges

... but at no point does it ask us for details of the service charges it simply asks for confirmation there are housing costs such as those.

I've repeated doing the reporting the change in case I'd selected a wrong option but same outcome. I've raised the matter in my journal.

Any ideas?