SMI ; UC

Altior

Surely I am not the first UC claimant to be in this position.

It seems perverse that you get some steps to follow on the date that you apply for UC in your journal, to ask your case manager to let the SMI team know that you wish to apply. The case manager confirms they've done this, then literally nothing happens for months. No communication from the SMI team, no acknowledgment, nothing. I genuinely cannot believe this is the pathway as it is/was designed, and I should have been sent the 'form'. And it definitely conflicts with the process that is publicly outlined.

huckster

The SMI form is a document they can manually print off and send out for completion. Does not rely on UC system process being triggered at 3 month point.

But I think they like to control numbers of applications being made and they track applications. So may be the SMI team just don't want to send out the application form for claims that have not reached 3 month point.

TimeLord1

That's what I was initially seeing, but the rules have now changed apparently fairly recently. To stop you just asking for the pack to what it initially was to preprepare the form.

TimeLord1

Have a read of that.

Service Issues"

section. State clearly: "I want to request the UCMI12 loan pack to check my eligibility for Support for Mortgage Interest. Per DWP guidance, the process of informing me and offering the loan can begin in my first assessment period."

https://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2026-0403/111._Mortgages-Guidance_V25.0.pdf

Altior

Many thanks again

I knew that I had read that somewhere, and was very confident that I was correct in thinking I could apply for SMI right away. I did not expect to have to have a big fight just to get them to follow their own processes, so I didn't save the source or mentally record where I'd read it. That was obviously before the fight to get the LCWRA correctly added to my claim.

The LCWRA screw up meant I was incorrectly given a nil award initially, I do hope that's not the underlying reason why I've not got anywhere with initiating the SMI application.

TimeLord1

It does seem basically down to how the people doing the process deal with each other and how different departments communicate. Which is the problem we constantly deal with anyway.

Altior

I can deal with everyday incompetence, and just genuine lack of knowledge. We're all human and nobody knows it all, mistakes/misunderstandings happen. It's happened throughout my career, and needing to pick apart the difference between genuine errors and raw laziness/can't be bothered from my staff became second nature. That journal post below definitely reads to me like someone that's deliberately trying to fob me off. They are careful with their wording, and try to imply that I'm not yet eligible to apply, without directly specifying that. As my instinct is that they know that I am, but for some reason, are seemingly trying to stall me from applying until I'm eligible for payments.

Although you can submit your SMI application in preparation, DWP policy states that you must have been receiving Universal Credit continuously for three months before you can become eligible for Support for Mortgage Interest. I will advise you wait until you are eligible.

That, and allegedly I was passed to someone who was qualified to handle SMI queries.

I wrote in the journal that I want their team leader to contact me, so I've now requested that on the phone and via journal. If I don't hear from their leader by Monday I will be using the online formal complaints process.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82175666#Comment_82175666

did you read

Eligibility for a loan

Claimants may qualify for a SMI loan after they have been receiving Universal Credit

continuously for 3 assessment periods, except where they receive a nil award for

any reason, in which case the qualifying period starts again. The process of

informing the claimant and offering the SMI loan can begin when they are in their first

assessment period.

Altior

Yes, it's all established. Claimants can apply for SMI and arranging the loan as soon as they apply for UC. There's a three month waiting time until SMI payments can start.

In short, every element can be completed during the waiting time, including the loan approval, aside from the movement of funds.

sheramber

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82175710#Comment_82175710

The LCWRA screw up meant I was incorrectly given a nil award initially, I do hope that's not the underlying reason why I've not got anywhere with initiating the SMI application.

That nil assessment may indeed be a factor.

 except where they receive a nil award for

any reason, in which case the qualifying period starts again.