Showing results for tags 'housing'.
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I'm a secure tenant in a property. I've recently contacted the landlord asking if they will give permission to let me build a conservatory. But they are refusing to give it! They say its because it will cause more expense if they need to do any maintenance however there is nothing to maintain above where it would be as everything is plastic and maintenance free. It states in my tenancy agreement that I can make improvements to the property as long as I get the correct planning permission etc. but I don't need it as its within the alowed limit and the are not allowed to unreasonably withhold consent but they are! Anyone help please!! -
Just looking for a home that was built in two days.A house not part of a skyscraper.And 90% more energy friendly and green.Affordable and if so slap them clean on the Brownfield sites now. There is urgent need,that is clear. I will find it.And add it later.90K and can be rented out or sold within weeks. Also will find out about Brownfield sites. Building more homes on brownfield land Consultation proposals https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/398745/Brownfield_Consultation_Paper.pdf And how many empty homes there are,not in use. And who will benefit from those jails George Osborne has his eyes on for selling for housing Speech with video,about 2 minutes that is all for those that may be slightly allergic to George Osborne. http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/video/george-osborne-nine-new-prisons-to-replace-victorian-jails/vi-CC8zE3 So perhaps some in the steel industry would be interested in this. I know,those damn Chinese,but fine entrepreneurs as well.Despite having many of our ideas away.And copying them. We should now return the favour perhaps with our steel.They use a lot,like meccano sets. Connect the steel plant to the production area,give no chance for cheap chinese steel to appear. Perfectly legal to do.A small loophole in European Law that is all. And it is time to look after our workers. Chairman Zhang's flatpack skyscrapers A Chinese entrepreneur who took just 19 days to build a 57-storey tower says he has triggered a construction revolution. And his dreams soar far, far higher. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-3cca82c0-af80-4c3a-8a79-84fda5015115 And the video. China builds complete 57 story skyscraper in record 19 days https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93HVG3j1phs Even better. In April a company in China claimed to have built 10 detached, single-storey houses within 24 hours, using waste material which was pumped out into layers - and the properties were said to have been created for less than $5,000 (£2,974) each. Four huge printers measuring 105ft (32 metres) long, 33ft (10 metres) wide and 22ft (6.6 metres) tall were used to make the bungalows, China’s Xinhua news agency reported at the time. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2753200/Company-launches-two-bedroom-home-DOWNLOAD-internet-build-yourself.html#ixzz3rZ4YJiwB The answers are here friends,nip off to the council and enlighten them. For those that would consider this idea. Would be in the house and set up for Christmas.I can see you sat by the fire.Christmas tree in the corner,turkey on the table. Will find much more info in the next week.This is just for starters. A lighter look at the problem we know is here. I have run out of time today. Please post how you feel about things. Any info,any additional thoughts and links.From you knowledgeable ones out there. -
i think i may have put this in the wrong section, sorry I have an issue regarding housing, i currently have a 2 bedroom flat with a boy and a girl sharing a room. I have recently went on the bidding system and i usually come around 20-30 out of approx 100 bidders. The children are aged 12 and 10 and have both hit puberty, arguments all the time which is stressful on myself, normal teen stuff really but i feel it could be minimised if they had their own space, i suffer with depression as-well so sometimes it really doesn't help. I am on the mutual exchange but no one is interested. I cant afford private, would of done so along time ago if i could Is there anything i could do to speed things up? regard louise
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Hello, 9 I have recently failed my ESA medical after scoring less than the required amount of points needed. I have appealed the decision made by the DWP. I am in receipt of housing benefit at the moment as well. I have claimed ESA a few years ago for a different health condition and once again I failed the medical. At this time I was also in receipt of Housing Benefit and Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit for my daughter, who no longer receives these benefit's but still lives with me. When I appealed the ESA decision a few years ago, I was able to keep my HB claim ongoing as I still had an income from my daughter's CB and CTC. This time however, I don't have this as an income. I am currently meeting my day to day living needs from a small amount of money given to me each week by my other daughter. My concern is will I still receive HB whilst I'm appealing the decision made by the DWP this time around as I have no income of my own? Will Housing Benefit allow me to receive my weekly award if I have no income of my own? I know I will get the basic assessment rate of ESA whilst my appeal is being looked at but whilst I am waiting for my appeal to go through (which I hear takes around a fortnight) I will have no income so I am unsure as to whether I will be still awarded any HB. I hope this makes some sense and I thank you for any help or advice.
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Morning I was hoping someone could shed some light for me. We have recently been awarded via mandatory reconsideration high rate care for our daughter, we were already in receipt of low rate mobility so getting the disabled child premium on housing benefit and council tax benefit. I sent the housing office proof of the new DLA award just to keep them up to date and someone said they may add a severe disablement element to the benefit but I didn't really understand that. I did not expect the award to change much as I didn't think DLA for a child was regarded as income as such. Anyway today I received a letter and although not clear I estimate a reduction in housing benefit by around £35 a month and a substantial reduction in council tax support. Does this sound accurate? No other changes to income, I will ring and check but the people who man the phones are often quite rude! Thanks all xx
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I had my benefit stopped in August claiming I was living elsewhere and had a nightmare getting it sorted. At first they said they would just get a copy of the appication made elsewhere for housing benefit and if the signatures didnt match then money would be restarted, no word on that and in the period I got copy of tenancy agreement from my landlord, and a letter stating I never moved out, and a copy of recent bank statement to show I still live here and letter from bank stating my address was never changed, letter from DWP stating my claim began on X date at the current address. Still refused so was told to give copy of utility bill for July to show I was living here, but I am on pre pay meters and only bill is landline/internet which I provide but it was paid late due to being overcharged so was told it was unsuitable, I then provided 6 months of phone bills and still got nowhere. They then ask for copies of bank statements which I provide. Still nothing, I contact again to be told the phone bill is unsuitable because its not itemised so they want a itemised bill. More time passes and they claim now to not have recieved any bank statements or utility bills so I phone again and advisor sents me out a letter saying in the meantime claim can be reopened as the other claim is closed but wants to see bank statements and utility bills again. I do this one last time and wait a few weeks and it is reinstated but not for the disputed 3 months from May to August. I contact again today to be told I have to prove I wasnt getting the money and to do that have to hand in bank statements and utility bills for the period which I have already done a few times!!! I am getting nowhere and the staff talk down to me as if I am lying. I did also try getting MP involved but each time it takes a week to get back to me and they just tell me the same as the council So I am the victim of identity fraud and I am also autistic and suffer from severe depression which is why I am on benefits in the first place and I dont need this!
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Hi everyone,Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I really appreciate any advice you can give me. today we have found out we have had a £5500 housing benefit overpayment over 9 months. We are totally in shock and absolutely devastated about the situation . The council were not aware that my partner had started part time work in Dec 2014 and that I returned to work part time after my maternity leave in April 2015. We did not know that we had to inform the council as we thought it was all automatically done through tax credits/hmrc. We didn't think anything of the amount of payment as we just assumed it was right and put it towards our rent. I know it sounds stupid but it's true. Our housing award kept being updated when our tax credits were, so we just assumed that they were aware of our income through tax credits/PAYE. We have three children and I am so concerned about what will happen to us. I have been told that the case will be referred to the fraud investigations department due to the amount involved. I have been frantically phoning around trying to get some answers in what will happen to us. Will we be prosecuted? If anything goes in the paper my partner will lose his job almost certainly. What are the next stages? We have agreed a payment plan, but I've been told that this doesn't make any difference to anything to do with the prosecution side. I manage the money side of things so my partner is blaming me for this, which I guess is understandable. I'm just freaking out totally at the moment and don't know how long this will go on for. Will I be invited to an interview under caution? All we will say is that we didn't know as this is the truth. We never meant to defraud anyone and our Sorry it wouldn't let me type at the end for some reason.I was just saying that this is a total mistake and the words benefit fraud scare the hell out of me. I'm so sorry for going on but I would really appreciate any advice on what happens next or any similar circumstances anyone knows about. Thank you so much
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wondering if anyone has the answer to this - live in Housing Association property and have received Housing and Council Tax Benefit since 2009. Basically I am autistic (and theregore legally a 'vulnerable' person but I only got my formal NHS diagnosis last month at the age of 56) both my autism and my caring duties for some disabled family members mean that it is impossible/impractical for me to get regular full time work and my only option is self employment working from home making craft items. For reasons that are not relevant here I currently receive neither disability benefits for myself nor Carers Allowance.(this may change in the future) My work is essentially upcycling discarded fabrics (I make fancy versions of the old style rag rugs) there are little or no expenses. My autism causes me problems with organisatoin and prioritising and the up shot is that I could sit all day into the small hours cutting fabric and making rugs but forget about marketing the items! the upshot is that although I do intend to make a profit in time at the moment although I am putting in a lot of hours there is little to show in respect of income or expenditure. I have just received a letter from my council saying that I am not entitled to HB or CTB as I am not in 'Gainful Employment" which is a term used under the definition of self employment in the Act that governs Housing Benefit as they term 'gainful employment' as one that pays an income. I will of course appeal ths decision as I think their interpretation is wrong on a number of reasons but I have a question that I would like to thow out to everybody. Essentially the council are disputing that I am 'self employed' under the HB rules. HOWEVER I am not sure that this is relevant because all the websites I have found and all the legislation I have looked at refer to entitlement to Housing Benefit arising if a claimant is in receipt of certain qualifying benefits OR ON A LOW INCOME!!! IN respect of those not on the trigger benefits I do not see anywhere a requirement that the claimant actually has to be in employment/self employment - simply it seems to look at the claimants income and capital. As someone with and autistic spectrum disorder I can get anxious to the point of meltdown - do I really need to risk a complicated fight about their definition of 'Gainful Employment" or is the whole thing irrelevant as I wonder if HB/CTB entitlement arises simply by virtue of being poor (to use a crude but effective term) Have the council overlooked the big picture or have I overlooked something?
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Encourage people to downsize starting with that place in London at the end of the mall..
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Hi everyone, I would appreciate your advice on this matter. I received a letter from Newlyn about a month ago regarding an overpayment of housing benefit from Newham Council, amounting to around £2200. I contacted them straight away asking for details, as the council has never written to me at my new address. Newlyn said they didn't have any details, as they had only held the account for several days. I then started getting phone calls every couple of days. When I couldn't come to the phone, they would leave me a voicemail and I always returned their calls. I explained the situation again the second time I spoke to them and the lady told me which period the overpayment was for to which I replied that it was still insufficient information, but she said she didn't know any more. I've contacted the council, requesting to know why they think I owe them money and asked for a statement of payment from them. I've spoken to Newlyn at least twice after this and explained on every occasion that I've contacted the council to enquire about the situation but have yet to receive a reply. The people on the phone said they were unable to 'hold' the account, even though I've done everything I can and they're not providing me with a reason to pay. I have received an automated response email from the council stating they have received my enquiry and they will respond to me in due time, but Newlyn won't leave me alone. In the past few days, they have sent me a letter that was addressed to 'the occupier' requesting for a forwarding address for me even though, I've contacted and spoken to them many times. I don't know how to proceed. I can't pay them - I don't have the money, but also I don't see why I should pay when I haven't been given reason to. They've said "you owe this much, now pay up" and that's pretty much it. I'm really stressed out about how quickly this is escalating and I'm really frustrated as to why I'm expected to pay when they haven't even explained to me why I owe them money. I'm struggling to cope with this and I feel really trapped. Thanks in advance to anyone who responds. Zoe
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hey. in august i received a letter stating i was + £2000 over payed in housing benefits. i phoned my housing officer up she stated that it was cos i didnt provided my payslips even though i did for the first 3 month and then got told i didn't have to any more. so instead of putting my pay slip in i said i would pay it all back in monthly installments which they agreed to. my partner got a job 4 month after i did and had his jsa got cut off so in turn we stupidly thought that the housing benefit had been stopped as well because he was the main claimer. we did not pay our rent for a couple of month because we was trying to get on our feet and making sure we had gas elec and food in thinking later we would catch up with our rent when we was sorted now we he has received a letter saying he is to go to a interview under cation. i am seriously stressing out over this i am an over thinker and am thinking of all the nightmares that could happen. please could some one help? -
Could someone help with this. I have been living in this property through the council for a month now. I claim income support. HB claim went through fine and they started paying my rent. Today though out of the blue I get a letter from them saying my HB has been stopped because I am no longer in receipt of income support. It's false though. I still claim both carers allowance and income support. Nothing has changed at all. The day after they said my suspension of HB started, I received my 2 weekly payment of IS to my bank account. They now want 2 months worth of bank statements (Why? They have my August bank statement already from when I made the HB claim), they want me to fill in a form titled "Use this form to claim housing benefit if your income support has stopped" (My IS hasn't stopped so if I did fill that form in, I would be lying to them) and proof of all income since I moved into this property. What can I do? Send them a screen print of the IS and CA when it next gets paid into my account? They have put me in the royal crap with rent because I am now in arrears. Thanks
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I have searched the forum for this topic and from what I have seen have become very worried. I have realised that I have been getting paid more Hb for a couple of years than I should have. I always informed tax credits of my income and i automatically got a change of financial circumstances letter from Local council which unfortunatley didn't read thoroughly.i thought the Hmrc and council offices linked now anyway (my naivety)as received these notices. It appears by my layman's reckoning i am over paid by about 20 per week maybe less in previous years which will obviously accumulate over couple years. Of course fully appreciate i have been overpaid and will need to repay. Worried sick it may be classed as fraud and of prosecution. Also they randomly paid me an extra 100 in my hb a week ago which alerted me too look at notice. Again think this was due to tax cr messing a payment as my16 yr old staying in ft education and said something about system recalculate s on 1 Sep. But they have now righted my tax cr. Just scared I will end up in court. I today went in council office told them all above supplied them with p60 s pay slips etc. They said they don't appear have anything since 2011 on my record though sure must have as have record me coning in. And also they said very surprised I'd not been asked to provide up date pay slips. Anyway i have found evidence of pay back to 2011 popping that in. Supplied back to 2013 today. I'm working out on worse case scenario its over 2000 !! Just no idea how this will go. Is all i can do is wait. Thanks for any help
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Hi I am on jobseekers allowance at the moment, but would really like to get of it If I was to find a part time job or even a job one day a week or do Avon or something would I be able to sign of jobseekers allowance but still get housing benefit or would I now be put on universal credit and still have to go the jobcentre I am in Warrington and they do have universal credit in this area if that makes a difference
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I rent a ground floor flat from the Housing Association. There was a leak from the flat above (also circle 33) which poured into my cupboard over a period of weeks. (Just found out today after I noticed a stench which smelt like a gas leak). It has ruined the electrical items stored in the cupboard, but circle 33 has stated that they will make good the leak from above and damp proof my cupboard, but I will have to claim on my own insurance for the items damaged. Is that correct? I thought they took responsibility but I could be wrong...... -
I currently receive ESA. My mortgage lender has been granted possession of my home in 56 days time. I have been offered social accommodation by the council. If I were to rent out my home before it's repossessed would I be able to claim Housing Benefit for the council accommodation, as well as the ESA I am currently receiving? I have been on the turn2us.org.uk benefits calculator and input my details including the Equity I have in my home plus projected income from rental and the results show I will still be eligible for ESA and Housing Benefit. Does that sound right?
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I left my Job on the 07/08/2015 and claimed JSA along with housing benefit and council tax support. I received a letter two days ago from the benefits office saying that as I left my job voluntarily they would not be paying me any money until November. I then decided to sign off JSA as I am starting a new job in three weeks time anyway. I visited the council offices to inform them that I still needed to claim housing/council tax benefit as I was/am not working. My wages were paid in two weeks after I finished work. They called this ' residual income' and said that as I had income I would have to pay rent. I have not earnt any money since the day I finished work. I was paid afterwards for the work that I did up until and including the 7th august. So surely I have no income. I never even received any payment from JSA. Should I be entitled to housing and council tax benefit? Thank you.
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Hello everyone I am new here the time has come for me and my girlfriend to apply for a mortgage for our first home together. We have a meeting booked with a mortgage broker next week, and he asked us to get credit reports ready for the meeting, my girlfriends came back fine, but I've found a CCJ was issued on mine from 2011! After a lot of phone calls I've found out that this CCJ, for £94, was from an over-payment of housing benefit when I was unemployed for 2 weeks in 2010. Wigan Council paid me for 4 weeks when I was only due 2 weeks. Because I was in financial hardship at the time I ended up moving out of the council house I lived at and moved in with my dad to get back on my feet. This CCJ was issued way after I left that property and for such a small amount its infuriating it could hamper my plans to buy a house. I've done some research and I want to attempt to get it set aside. Wigan Council have been very unhelpful currently, I sent them an email asking about what had happened 2 because up until this point I have been completely ignorant of this - I've never had a problem getting credit (credit cards, DFS finance, phone contracts etc) so I have, probably naively, never felt the need to check my credit report. The rest of my report is immaculate, no late payments, no defaults etc. Because it was so long ago, and I was 20 at the time, I don't have any paperwork from leaving, proof I told Wigan Council I've left, even any paperwork from when I signed on for 2 weeks. I'm hoping I can get this by sending an SAR to Wigan Council and them giving me the info, but god knows how long that takes. From little bits I've read online my only possible defence I can fathom is the following: I did not reside at the property when the court papers were sent. I did not recognise Wigan Council as a creditor as the over payment was in error. If I legally owe the money, I have no issue paying it back. And that's about it. I wasn't out of the country, my dog didn't eat it, I have no decent excuses just the truth which is I had no idea this was happening! Do I have a leg to stand on? I'm aware ignorance isn't a defence really but without meaning to be dramatic I am scared this is going to ruin my chances of getting a mortgage for 18 months until it disappears and all for a measly £94. Any help or points in the right direction would be much appreciated! P.S. sorry if this is in the wrong forum! -
as the above says. I'm posting this on behalf of my neighbour who has just got back from tameside magistrates regarding her housing benefit, in 2014 I helped her fill out the form HBCT1 and that was sent off, nothing was heard for several months, then after those months passed, still nothing, so I contacted them on her behalf, needless to say she had to fill out another HBCT1 form and was awarded housing benefit. New Charter had said that she owes them a total of £3000 she was taken to court today and ordered to pay £70 every monday, Bearing in mind that she gets £62 carers allowance and her income support. so out of her benefits she has to pay £270 every month. Because she had already applied but there was no acknowledgement from the revenues sector, is there any way to claim a backdate for that period that they say she owes them... Any help and advice would sincerely be appreciated.
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hi, I have recently started the dreaded work programme, however I have been offered a P/T job, 20 hours a week, which I found myself.. now I don't want my work programme provider to know anything about this, I want to just sign off and forget all bout the JSA and the work programme, however I will still need housing and council tax benefit, can the work programme provider stop me getting this if I just ignore them and not keep in touch with them? thanks -
Hi Before I speak to my local council tomorrow I wondered if you could help me with a question. I received a housing benefit review letter with two form. As a sole trader I have to fill in my expenditure form-no problem. The other form is an A/B/C form. Part of the form is asking me to send in 5 weeks pay slips or 1 month payslip. I don't have either as I am self employed and don't have pay slips. Thanks -
i have just received a letter say i owe the council near 3 Grand for over payed housing benefit. me and my partner moved to Scotland was homeless and had no job. last year i got in to work placement through job center and then got a job. i informed the council of everything and they said i didn't need to pay rent because i was working my bf benefits got stopped. my partner got agency work that lasted a couple of weeks and then they phoned up giving him some more. the council phoned up asking questions and i answered and she was like i will report it on system everything ill be fine you wont have to pay. i thought that was strange but though she knows best cos sh works for council. now i have this bill i don't know what to do and ive been reading forms about how they will do me with fraud i am so scared i am only 22 first every house and i do know what to do. i have suffer from bad depression any how and this is sending me over the edge.
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I came across this petition whilst on FB this morning and feel it should be shared. https://www.change.org/p/the-rt-hon-michael-fallon-mp-ministry-of-defence-to-make-carillion-amey-accountable-for-the-substandard-housing-they-provide-for-service-personnel-and-their-families?recruiter=350457576&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-share_petition-reason_msg&fb_ref=Default If it turns out that Carillion Amey are not fulfilling the terms of the contract, out they should go. -
Circle housing are known for being terrible when it comes to repairs. I've just moved into a new flat a couple of days ago, I found 7 faults, 2 of which I fixed myself (loose waste pipes / light starter). but the other 5, are a bit more complicated. Window very loose and doesn't close properly, leaking copper pipes (only when water is flowing), toilet doesn't stop filling up (I turn this off at the valve when not needed), outside light turns on and off, and a heater doesn't work. I have reported the faults, and listed the issues, explaining that the water doesn't leak when the taps are off and I turn the toilet off with the valve. How ever I came home yesterday and found that they turned the water off for the entire flat. No notes or calls or anything. I tried to call but got the out of office hours message. The trouble is, that the repairs are only done mon-fri between 9am and 5pm. The exact hours I work. I was only given the flat because I am in full time employment! I have no idea how I can ever get the faults fixed. No one can tell me when they will turn up. I literally have to take two weeks off work as they can turn up any time. Not to mention my boss is being difficult and will only let me have half a day to sort out everything. I am stuck in this situation. I have no idea what to do about it. -
I have an issue with my housing association. But I can't see where to post about it?
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