Universal Credit... tenancy agreement SOS

worryworm95

Hi Scopers! I'm new here so I don't 100% know what I'm doing but I feel like I might be able to get some advice vis a vis universal credit stuff so here goes.
I left my job last week as an agency teaching assistant at a school due to stress (I suffer from anxiety which I take medication for and this was a mutual agreement with my lovely line manager), whilst this had more to do with the role I was in and the workplace itself than the actual job (if that makes sense, I really enjoy working with kids and in schools but couldn't face the intensity of the role I was in which was more intervention based). I did not get a sick note before leaving as I was still working but struggling, however at the job centre today they said I should bring in a sick note from my doctor to prove I had to leave due to stress and anxiety- which I'm happy to do. However they also asked for me to come back in and show an updated tenancy agreement as the one I brought in expired this September (I signed it in 2022 before it became a rolling contract) has anyone else had this issue before? I realise dealing with the DWP isn't a walk in the park by any means and this sort of thing happens alot with regards to people applying for housing cost support. And does anyone have any advice for dealing with a self employment assessment- I declared I was self employed as I guessed they would find out from HMRC anyway but I have to go to a separate appointment for that and was wondering whether it could be done on the phone or online instead? I'm wondering if I should mention this as well to my GP to see if it's worth me getting a note for. I'm also wondering if I should delay this second ID appointment so I have more time to gather evidence if I need too (on top of DWP stuff I am applying for jobs and trying to get trial shifts so I can start in the New Year/Mid-Jan).
On top of my anxiety I also have autism and this means I struggle to process alot of information when in an anxious state/stressed and struggled at the JC today when they started asking me 10000 questions about hours I worked/ why I left my job/ if I got fired etc . Again I realise there's a reason the DWP has these procedures in place but I'm just seeking some reassurance from fellow autism havers and people who have been in similar situations before? Is it worth applying for in the end and is there any success stories? PS: I have asked for a reasonable adjustment to be made already (quiet space).
Thank you in advance,
WorryWorm

MW123

@worryworm95

Just wanted to say hello and welcome. Although I cannot offer advice on your questions, I'm optimistic that someone with the relevant knowledge will join the conversation to offer you assistance. Use this moment you find yourself in to unwind, and I sincerely hope that, free from the pressures of work, you'll begin to feel a bit better.

TheManFromLondon

@worryworm95

UC has a serious issue with tenancy agreements. Just telling them its a rolling contract will not cut it. You have to get a letter from your landlord or estate agent, saying, that person, address such and such, has a contract signed on 2022 and since Sep 2023 is renewing on a rolling basis blah blah, confirming rent and when its paid.

Because i have been in a similar mess, the way to make this easier on you would be to get a renewal paper, a single page signed from the landlord and youself stating the current status and details of your tenancy. This one page format can be used also for a rent increase when (if) it takes place.

Once you have that, put a note in your journal asking for a link to upload it AND call the UC and ask they provide you with a link to upload the document. Make clear you cant exit home, it was too much you did it once and you still try to collect yourself since (seems to me this way).

That should be all for the rental agreement.

worryworm95

@TheManFromLondon I see! Thank you so much!  do you have any advice on how I can ask for this without mentioning UC. Thank you for your insight/ advice! 

Jimm_Scope

I find it odd they refuse such contracts, because they have clauses in them already explaining that it turns into a rolling contract. Sometimes Landlords can be fairly slow in responding as well. Which would likely also mean you're mentioning applying for benefits to your landlord, while they cannot legally discriminate against people on benefits we all know it happens. Feels like creating more hoops and difficulties to jump through from my point of view.

TheManFromLondon

worryworm95 said:

@TheManFromLondon I see! Thank you so much!  do you have any advice on how I can ask for this without mentioning UC. Thank you for your insight/ advice! 

You seem concerned about your landlord knowing you stopped your work. This should not affect your tenancy agreement. After all, you are in there, I mean as long as they get their rent, they should be happy. People loose or quit their jobs all the time for many reasons, but they are not automatically becoming unwelcome in the property for that, as they surely look for a new job (regardless what you will/can or not do).

I assume you have been typical with your rent, and the landlord would not be on the lookout for an opportunity to get you out, and this seems to be the case as you are on a rolling contract, so they still want you.

But that last point is also to the landlord's benefit. If you are on a rolling contract they can get you out easier if you were to stop paying rent. So on benefits or not, they have nothing to worry if things go really south.

If I had to, I would personally say nothing more than "I was advised to apply for UC for getting some support for my Autism". Thats it.

Just so you know, I have Autism, and I am on LCWRA. Autism is a flag for LCWRA, meaning DWP recognises the struggles Autistic people experience. But as you know, we are on the spectrum and each case is different with its own traits and struggles. So it comes down how you are affected and if you satisfy the LCW descriptors to get LCW or LCWRA. But yes, you should definitely apply, no question about it.

With all that being said, stick around here and read read read to understand UC and look for post about autistic and other mental health claims and how it went.

Good luck.

TheManFromLondon

Jimm_Scope said:

I find it odd they refuse such contracts, because they have clauses in them already explaining that it turns into a rolling contract. 

UC is a serious pain with rental agreements. They refused my electronic agreement, a legal document with digital signatures and timestamps. They wanted a letter with an ink signature. Same here, they want an active contract and ignore any clause saying it would go into rolling contract.

They act like robots "if not that, then no accepted". They are VERY nervous about the payout of the housing element. I assume there must have been lots of fraud cases.

Jimm_Scope

While it's true landlords likely aren't going to evict someone just because they're now claiming benefits, as long as the money keeps coming in there shouldn't be an issue.

But I have seen some landlords with horrible prejudice against benefits claimants, so I understand why people are nervous about mentioning it to their landlord.

Do you have a letting agency you can go through? I find they are, on average, much more understanding.

worryworm95

@Jimm_Scope yes I have a lettings agency ! I'll drop a line to both them and my landlord , apparantley this is a frequent problem with DWP.