Housing Benefit. Help Please.

[chrissa1]

The Local Housing Allowance for my area is £87.69 per week for a two bedroom house. I am only receiving £68.00 per week. I only have my State Pension and a small private pension of £56.00 per week.

Can someone tell me why I don't receive the full amount allowable? I really don't know what to do and I hope this question doesn't get people's backs up.

[themas]

The reduction could be due to either the amount of your private pension, or because the rules may treat your daughter as not occupying the property as she is not there in term time.

The Council should have given you a document showing how they have worked out your entitlement. If they have not done so they are at fault. You should contact them & ask for an explanation. If the reason is the first one I give above there will be nothing you can do, because the rules are national & the Council is just following them. If the reason is the second one, it may be questionable. I'm not sure about this, but there may be some case law which would help. So if the Council say you are only entitled to a one bed place I suggest you go to the local CAB & ask them for advice on whether this is correct.

In most areas getting a Council (or Housing Association) property involves a long wait - you should enquire of your Council Housing Dept. & get your name on their housing register. Council rents are often lower than those in the private rented sector; whether you would still get Housing Benefit would depend on the calculation based on all the factors, but it's likely you would get soem.

[chrissa1]

Thank you.

[bednobs]

hi chrissa - if all else fails, perhaps you could go to a 1 bedroom place and in the holidays daughter could sleep in the living room/sofa?

[chrissa1]

Cheers bednobs.

[bednobs]

i know it's not ideal, but it's all i could think of if they wont reduce your rent or increase your benefit

[chrissa1]

It wouldn't go down well with my daughter and I mean that in the nicest possible way. She'd do anything for me.

[boxtops]

we know she would, chrissa, she's a good egg.

[bednobs]

in which case, if she wants to reserve a room to live in whilst on holiday you need to ask her for money. I know it's hard but she will find a job. I would guess that she would not want you to live on bread and water just so she has a room to herself when she is on holiday. When she finishes her course you may even find she has to move away to get a job as a children's nurse so it may not be her permanent home again

[bednobs]

also, i was just thinking, when i did a nursing course, we didn't have the long summer holidays that the other students had. Therefore for the first year at least, we were allowed to libve in halls for the whole year

[chrissa1]

She is paying £115.00 per week for her room in Halls now.

[chrissa1]

Thanks so much Eddie. I'm just over that weekly allowance I think.

[bednobs]

if chrissa is recieving state pension in her own right, the amount of PP will take her over the minimum income guarantee

[bednobs]

i think she'll be getting 20.30 too much

[chrissa1]

Yes, that's what it looks like bednobs. Who'd have thought years ago, that £20 would have made so much difference to my life

[bednobs]

but it's not really making a difference is it? or is my maths crap? your shortfall on the rent is less than £20. Therefore if you didn't have the own pension, but got pension guarantee credit you'd be getting less money overall by £20.30 but the council would pay an extra £19.69 in rent. Therefore that extra pension means you are better off by 61p a week :)

[chrissa1]

But I can't claim Pension Credit until I'm 65. Another 4 years to wait.

[Yorky Lass]

If you are receiving your Retirement Pension you can apply for Pension Credit now. Try this calculator http://pensions-servi...culator/calculate.asp Read this first as it explains how to complete it. http://www.direct.gov...nsionCredit/DG_180167