SMI ; UC

Altior

Does anyone have any insight into the application process that isn't available online?

Reason being, I'm almost 3 months into UC now and have hit a brick wall. I seemingly can't even get the ball rolling. Having left multiple journal messages, first being at the start of August, and phoning UC. The most recent update below, I received on 29th Sept.

My team leader has sent an urgent handover to the relevant team, they will assign you to an agent who can help you in regards to your SMI loan.

On the call, the telephone agent couldn't even tell me what I should expect to happen next, other than the nothing currently happening! But they did escalate it, leading to the journal message above. Conventionally, one would expect to receive some info and an application form via snail mail. But I have not been able to confirm that.

I'm thinking the next step is to reach out to my MP, which feels quite daft. But, what else to do?

I had an instinct that my previous case manager was bluffing, and didn't know what to do re SMI. Just as they were bluffing about my missing LCWRA. But if I have been assigned a new case manager, absolutely nothing appears to have changed…

TimeLord1

Instead of writing another journal message asking for an update, write a journal message—or use the online DWP complaints service—stating explicitly: "I wish to raise an official complaint regarding maladministration and unreasonable delays in processing my Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loan and LCWRA component."

Or Call the Universal Credit Helpline on 0800 328 5644 and ask the agent explicitly to log a Stage 1 Formal Complaint.

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure

Altior

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82171186#Comment_82171186

Thanks! This is a task for Monday then. My understanding is that the whole application process is very involved and lengthy, unsurprising with a charge being added to the property and involving my lender's authority. I thought I would have three months to complete it though, did not expect it to take three months or more just to begin the application 🙄

TimeLord1

I'm unsure if they use an online system now, but previously they sent out packs, but they had to be released by an agent. The complaint should force more action, or otherwise it's queueing and waiting until it gets looked at.

Altior

One would think sending out a generic application in the post was the easy bit! It's not as if SMI is oversubscribed, apparently applications are minimal now that it's a loan. At least if I knew I was in a queue, it would be unsatisfactory but bearable. Appreciate the insight though, at the very least I want to have done everything available to get it moving, that's in my gift.

TimeLord1

It was an agent that could release certain things, not just a basic work coach or phone jockey. Everyone answers to someone because they don't have the information or ability to simplify it by grabbing a pack and popping it in the post.

huckster

Case Managers (CM) in Universal Credit Service Centres no longer deal with SMI applications, apart from the CM sends information via journal or post to claimants about the SMI application process, so the claimant can make a decision if they want to pursue. There is now a separate DWP team that handles the SMI applications.

If you contact via journal or UC helpline, all they do is chase up with the DWP SMI team.

SMI was previously not taken up by most claimants, but I believe this has changed in the last 12 months due to increasing financial pressures people are facing.

Altior

The whole thing was daft from the beginning, as I got a journal note that hyperlinks to a longer message titled 'Tell us if you have, or want to apply for, a Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loan'. Explaining how to tell my CM if I wanted to apply. However, that was generated right in the middle of my application, along with a bunch of other journal notes like 'Income other than earnings completed'. I only spotted the critical SMI note when I was going through the the journal audit trail to trace what had happened in general with my UC application, up to that point.

After I followed the steps, the CM noted that he passed my request on to the SMI team at the beginning of August. What is not clear to me is why the 'SMI team' have not contacted me, or updated my journal to acknowledge I want to apply, or indeed provided any other indication that there is any kind of progress at all.

I feel like my next step has to be to raise the complaint, as per TimeLord1's suggestion. There's no indication anywhere online that I can find that there's an extensive waiting time merely to initiate a SMI application. It seemed to me that the application and loan offer should be in place so you can then simply trigger the loan, if required, at a time of your choosing (in the case of UC, once the three months' waiting time has passed).

huckster

Did you fill in the application form and send it to your mortgage lender to complete part of the form, before it was sent to the DWP SMI team?

Altior

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82171428#Comment_82171428

I've not received anything to fill in. This is the problem, literally nothing has happened!

huckster

The process is

1. You ask UC about SMI and they send out information booklet.
2. If you then want to proceed, then a phone call appointment is arranged where SMI team go through information with you.
3. If after speaking to SMI team, you definitely want to proceed, an application form is posted out. You then fill this in and send it on to mortgage company to complete their part before it gets returned to SMI team to process.

If you call 0800 328 5644, ask for SMI phone appointment call to be booked.