ESA Support Group to UC managed migration questions

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Comments

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    Jolly good.

  • Ranald
    Ranald Online Community Member Posts: 877 Championing

    After the first UC payment, It asks you on your journal whether you want paid monthly or fortnightly. I am in Scotland too.

    My rent goes straight to my LA landlord. I simply asked for this via my journal, and all they wanted to know was rent reference number.

    Regards to rent, I got a rent arrears letter, but it was only because it was issued the day before my first UC payment went through. All was well when I telephoned the council.

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    Thank you Ranald. I'm not sure I have a rent reference number, I would have to contact my housing association.

  • Ranald
    Ranald Online Community Member Posts: 877 Championing

    I just entered the reference number I found on the letter informing me my HB was ending.

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    Oh, just checked my housing benefit decision notice from last year when the rent increased. I don't have a rent reference number, that bit is blank. I have a claim reference number and a landlord reference number.

    And I have reference numbers on my letter from the HA informing me of the rent increase. But they don't state that it's a rent reference number. I think I would have to contact them to check.

    Once I am on UC with the Scottish Choices in place and the housing element going straight to my HA, what happens when the rent is increased, as it usually does each year? Is it automatically adjusted like it is now or do we have to actually inform UC/DWP ourselves?

  • Ranald
    Ranald Online Community Member Posts: 877 Championing

    I think it was landlord reference, but it might be best to confirm with your HA.

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    I would definitely have to check with my HA. It's all too confusing trying to work it out myself.

  • Ranald
    Ranald Online Community Member Posts: 877 Championing

    Dug out HB recalculation letter and remember now that it was "Rent Reference", which is a 7 digit number for me.

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    I don't seem to have one on mine. It is just left blank! I have a claim reference number. V strange. Just checked my previous year's decision letters, for each annual rent increase, and it's blank on them too.

  • Ricky93
    Ricky93 Online Community Member Posts: 87 Empowering

    It went okay the person I spoke to on my journal saw me in person and they was very understanding of my conditions and very supportive.

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    That's good Ricky. Glad it went well for you.

  • Ricky93
    Ricky93 Online Community Member Posts: 87 Empowering

    Thank you I have faith yours will too, keep us updated

  • Ranald
    Ranald Online Community Member Posts: 877 Championing

    I am with Angus council, and you a housing association, they might be different. I really wouldn't worry. Do you have a rent card? I couldn't find mine so that is why I looked at HB letter.

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    I hope so too. I'm VERY stressed about it all. Cannot cope with any changes and v hard for me to deal with people in person or on phone. I hope it will be straightforward. I'm in support group so claimant commitment should be v basic. I have under ยฃ6000 total savings/capital and no other income at all, just ESA, HB and council tax reduction, so nothing too complicated for them to deal with and work out or sort out.

  • moosee
    moosee Online Community Member Posts: 110 Contributor

    Hi, I'm up I the Highlands and rent from Albyn HA. I don't have a rent card, I don't think so anyway. I've been in this property for 12 years so I cannot remember what they gave me when i signed my tenancy! I will just have to be brave and contact them if I need to.

  • snukems
    snukems Online Community Member Posts: 1 Listener

    Hi ๐Ÿ‘‹ sorry I just found this post when searching online. I never knew you could disregard COLP and I included these in my capital when I joined on Sunday. How does that work as surely by now everyone has spent these payments so I am struggling to see how they disregard that money and also why they never told me I could when calculating capital.

  • OverlyAnxious
    OverlyAnxious Online Community Member Posts: 4,001 Championing

    Most of the UC staff don't seem to know about this which is why they won't have told you.

    If your savings went below the amount of the COL payments then you have already spent them. If your savings have remained above that amount all the time then you have not spent them yet.

    Unfortunately there is no easy way to have them deducted. The 'correct' way to do it is to declare all of your savings and then put a note in the journal asking the UC staff to deduct the COL payments. But in my experience they do not do this, or even acknowledge the message. So I am now deducting that amount before entering the figure on the savings page. I am not specifically recommending that you do this in case it causes any problems in future, but I know I am not the only one doing it this way.

  • Kimi87
    Kimi87 Online Community Member Posts: 4,526 Championing

    When the payments were made an indefinite disregard was written into the regulations.

    Of course alongside that messages should have been added in relevant places mentioning the disregard.

    If a claimants capital hasn't gone below the amount they received, then the disregard still applies.