Housing benefit being reacessed

[Gcasson10]

I feel like crying right now , I have had no money for my rent since the end of July when it was suspended ! They apparently sent me a renewal form which I never received , I rung them up August when I noticed there were no payments going in the account they then sent me a form to renew my housing benefit which I filled out , and gave them with all relevant documents , this was four weeks ago and I keep calling they keep saying that it will be reacessed but no timescale , I have just paid my £600 pound rent and am a dinner lady on £200 pound a mint and my partner is a sales assistant on £500 a month , we now have no money to live on also we just paid the council tax as well which is £175 a month , I have just paid all this and have nothing left and have a young child to feed , Wycombe council do not seem to care about this !!!!!! Please help

- - - Updated - - -

They keep fobbing me off when I call and making excuses I don't know what to do !!

[des8]

Re: Housing benefit being reacessed

Hi and welcome

Have a read of this link http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_ad...benefit_delays
And complain to your councillor and Wycombe's CEO:karen_satterford@wycombe.gov.uk

[seduraed]

Re: Housing benefit being reacessed

Go to the social services or doctor and get a ticket for the food bank. This will give you at least basic supplies. Talk to your local councillor and see if they can put a rocket but the council's backside.

[Snoopy1948]

Re: Housing benefit being reacessed

Hi there .... on the harsh side of this, it is up to the tenant to ensure that the rent is paid, not the council.

From what you say, you should be eligible for high levels of housing benefit and council tax support. Alas, councils have no emotional feelings when they send out suspension letters following review forms but those forms are important to ensure that public money is being correctly allocated. Reading between the lines, you have trouble with paperwork and that is understandable. It's the same old story with bureaucracy, if you don't tick all the boxes, you simply don't win!

Make an appointment to see someone at your local Citizen Advice Bureau, and take all paperwork with you. Hopefully, they will phone the benefit department in your presence and pinpoint what is wrong here. You probably cannot do this on your own. Housing benefit departments are under tremendous pressure and waiting for assessment is commonplace, and that's all down to public money cuts. Currently, you are probably nothing more that a benefit number on a workflow chart, and they are probably several weeks behind. Go to the CAB asap and see what they can do.

[charitynjw]

Re: Housing benefit being reacessed

they keep saying that it will be reacessed but no timescale

From what I have read on this subject, it is likely that the LA (in this case Wycombe District Council?) are probably deciding whether or not to set up a new HB payment, not to reinstate the previous one.
This, I believe, will only be backdated for a maximum of 1 month from the decision to give HB (if at all).

[seduraed]

Re: Housing benefit being reacessed

I Cambridge it is a six week delay between receiving the information and making a decision. CAB is a good choice
send they have a welfare rights specialist.