Can anyone point me to where it says that HB will only get backdated 1 month? It seems as if all Local Authorities apply this rule, but I am finding it hard to locate the exact legislation permitting them to do so. I would be very grateful on behalf of one of my helpees.

Hi everyone. I am new to the forum and pleased to be joining such a fabulous, supportive community! A quick question on this topic. On telephone advice from a person in Barnet Council's office, I recently applied for backdated single person's discount of 25% as the council told me that I was defaulted to two persons. I have been single at this property since 2005. I just received an e-mail saying: "We are unable to action your request. As ignorance is not a valid reason please confirm reasons to why you did not notify our office at the time?" Before I reply, I just wanted to sound out any advice on how to achieve a favourable outcome. In particular: What are any legal precedents for backdating and refusing to back-date? If the council had defaulted me to two person dwelling, then are they obliged to be able to name the two occupants? Why is "ignorance not an excuse"? Is there legal grounds for challenging this default position? Any advice on what I should mention or cite in my response? I am in pretty serious financial difficulties and this refund would go a long way to turning my circumstances and life around. I would appreciate any insight or tips. Thanks so much, Peter

I am self employed and my earnings vary a lot often for a short period oftime. My housing benefit claim was already close once because my earnings weretoo high. However the problem is that my earnings vary a lot often for asmall period of time and it is inconvenient for me to make a new claim forhousing benefit each time my earnings vary. I would like to know how to explainmy situation to the housing benefit department to avoid that my claim is closedeach time my earnings vary temporarily I would like to know if there is a specific law for self employer or if I have to file a specific form

I have been contacted by the CSA who have backdated a claim to 2006 and have told me I owe £22k. I have never ever been un traceable and have told my ex where I am living. I agree I have to contribute towards my children but disagree with he amount they want to take. I work full time and this month came out with £970.by the time all my bills are paid and I already have a CCJ that also came out of my pay I have nothing left CSA say the minimum amount I can be left with is £1100 they don't seem to be taking into account the CCJ does anyone know if this is correct ? I can barely pay my bills now and have nothing left, we are existing and nothing else. I have always works all my life and wondering now is it really worth carrying on working. I'm pretty much at n all time low. I know some of my debt is down to me and shouldn't have got into this state but when you don't earn much it's easy to do.

6 months a go I had an ATOS WCA. I was ill and unable to attend. I contacted ATOS to let them know before the WCA and they requested a letter from GP confirming this. I visited my GP who after an examination agreed to send a letter to this effect to ATOS on my behalf. A month latter I received a letter informing me my ESA had been ended due to failure to attend and not supplying any reason as to why. I contacted my surgery, who had told me the letter had gone, and after some time it was discovered the letter had been left behind the reception of a different surgery to the one I attend, and never posted. I was told by the ESA advisers I would have to begin a appeal in order to send this letter in. This is what I did. I had appealed before and had received the standard appeal rate whilst waiting for the appeal, once the appeal had been processed. It took 4 months for my appeal to be processed. During this time I had been told that to make any new claim would invalidate my appeal and would save no time regardless due to the backlog. When my claim was processed it was made clear that I would receive no payments whilst my appeal was in process. I contacted the CAB and after a brief interview gained a full consultation. This took a month. The CAB informed me that I could, in fact, claim JSA whilst my appeal was in process without it affecting my appeal, despite the obvious conflicting requirements of JSA and ESA. This has left me with a 6 month deficit of payments which I owe out to my utilities providers and landlord, for which I am being taken to court. I have been told that whilst I can apply for backdating, it simply won't happen. They would also require a 6 month history of active job seeking, something there was no way for me to be aware I needed to be compiling at the time. I'm at a loss as to see how I would have been able to avoid this situation. I have made another appointment at the CAB but I'm not sure what they can do. Is this simply the way the system works?

Need some advice on a policy with Admiral please. Previously had a Multi Car Policy with each of us being a named driver on eachothers cars for about two years. I renewed with Admiral but my boyfriend renewed elsewhere still being named drivers on eachothers cars. It's transpired that there were points from 4 years ago on my boyfriends licence that he should have disclosed when we first took out the policy 2 years ago, he genuinely forgot about them and thought they were older than they were. We happened to have a sort out of some paperwork recently and after checking the paper licence he realised that they were more recent than he thought and so we offered the information to Admiral as we didn't know if they should know about it for the renewal. as you can imagine they have come back to say that they will now need to backdate for both his policy and my policy as he was a named driver this at a cost of £460 for the 2 years, I am still awaiting a breakdown of how it equates to each policy, there is nothing additonal for this renewal ironically. What they have done though is added the entire £460 amount to my sole policy increasing it to nearly £1000, I said to them that I had no issue with them adding the named driver total to my policy (my bf will pay the difference) but I disagree that his policy difference should be added to mine just because we had the multi car option and just because I am still insured with them. Before even provding me with a breakdown of the costs, they have just sent an updated policy schedule with the revised premium saying that my DD will now increase from next month!!! Any thoughts on this, I think I'm hard pushed to argue the retrosepctive amount but applying the whole thng to my policy just becuase I still happen to be insured with them seems wrong and should be dealt with seperately. Any advice greatly appreciated.

Hi, A friend on my college course refused was JSA based on the reason that "She's in full time education" even though she is not. Thats what the letter said... She originally claimed last October, but this was refused. The topic came up in a session at college today and the tutor said that the course was designed for people on JSA and was infact 15 hours. The tutor then got a letter written up from the college detailing the college course and hours. My friend has had to use her credit card to get by in the months without JSA. (Food, Rent etc) - She tells me this is maxed out and over the limit (Not good for her credit rating). She Reclaimed JSA and was told that it was approved. Could she back date her claim as it wasnt her fault? (She provided her timetable on her first claim) Any help would be helpful! Thanks

Hi guys, From September 15th 2012 to February 4th 2013 i was claiming ESA due to breaking my leg. I received the letter stating my ESA payments would be stopped on Feb 5th due to scoring 0 points on the ATOS medical, a day after i received my final payment of £50 on the 4th. I was unhappy with the information on the assessment, which was completely different to anything that was actually said, and was going to appeal. However, due to the stress of trying to sort it all waiting ages for another fracture clinic appointment, and as my leg was feeling better since the date of the medical anyway, i decided claiming JSA would be easier. I have been actively seeking work since my ESA claim was stopped, and can prove this as i have been lucky and offered two interviews and some temp work till the end of March, along with the applications i have made on Universal JobMatch. I only phoned to claim JSA on the 14th Feb as was held up with trying to get the information for appeal and appointments, however informed the adviser on the phone of this and he stated that i would be backdated from the end of my ESA claim. I attended my first appointment on Wed 20th Feb, signing all the necessary paperwork and again being told that my claim would be backdated. I also told my adviser that i had been offered temp work which starts this Monday 25th Feb, so really need the payment as i have not been paid since the 4th Feb and have no money for bus etc to be able to work. She told me because i was changing from ESA to JSA the payment should be processed faster and i would get a payment by the weekend. As you have probably already guessed i have not been paid yet, and received a letter in the post today stating that my claim for JSA has been accepted from the 14th Feb!!! NOT BACKDATED! Does anybody have any idea why this could be? I'm now worried because i am due to start temp work on Monday but feel i'm not going to get paid until after my next appointment. I have already borrowed from the close friends and family i have to get by this month, and feel again this is the only option i have been left with if i want to work. Any advice would be useful

Hi i have recently moved to a hostel/hotel that accepts dss. its licenced rather than rented which means they can throw me out any time they like. my full rent is not covered i am short each week by 36 pound. ive been there approx 3 months. ive found out i can apply for discretionary payments. and if accepted get it backdated. problem is according to hostel rules, they keep any backdating as 'credit' i.e if i dont pay the shortfall they take it out of the credit. ive had to kill myself to get the shortfall paid. im sure its illegal for them to do that but basically they can just throw me out . can i ask discertionary payment department 9if accepted) to pay the backdated cash to me (as long as i prove its been paid?) the hostel made me sign a form to make sure hb payments went straight to them? and they can phone up if its stopped ive thought of tranferring the payments back over to myself and paying up front for a month, till discretionary payments come through, but im sure if i did that the hostel would phone up hb and find out what ive done, theyre canny crooks form what i gather need advice backdated money amount to 500 pounds which i could use to get a room somewhere. thanks in advance