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Discretionary Housing Payment - Exceptional Housing Payment

Roddy

I have 2 questions please:

1. I fit all of the criterion and eligibility to apply for financial assistance from my local Council, for removal costs. It is my understanding following numerous visits & interviews that DHP is discretionary and so there are no guarantee's that I'll receive it. However, what do the council base their decisions on please? The reason I ask is simple: You cannot tell me that the council have 100s of applications per month, or that they have any justification to refuse my application, due to me meeting ALL of the criterion to receive DHP. In other words, what rights do they have to refuse to assist me?

2. Contrary to online advice and information, the council are telling me that they do not provide EHP anymore and there is nothing that they can do to assist. Are they correct, or just fobbing me off?

My situation is desperate. I take charge of my new social housing home tomorrow (Monday) and despite my application for DHP being made 6 weeks ago (and having provided all that I've been asked for) the Council are no closer to making-up their minds. Come Tuesday morning all of my belongings will be removed from my current home and I will in essence be homeless. The Council are aware of this and yet I'm being left in the dark and without any confirmation one way or another...

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Comments

Dotty123

My esa stopped till tribunal I applied for shop took while to get reply but they were so helpful and did what they could to help .includeing Foodbank if go ca they help but don’t make it any quicker

Roddy

Dotty123 said:

My esa stopped till tribunal I applied for shop took while to get reply but they were so helpful and did what they could to help .includeing Foodbank if go ca they help but don’t make it any quicker

My support worker has applied to all known charities for assistance with White goods and I've received a Budgeting Loan from Universal Credit for the same. BUT, nobody so far to assist with removal costs, not even The Salvation Army or The Heart Foundation can help me with this. The lowest quote I've received is over £650 and I've not got a penny.

poppy123456

Hi,

Receiving a DHP for removal costs isn't guaranteed, it will depend on the circumstances and that will depend on your local council. How many applications they have for these payments i'm afraid i have no idea. All local councils have their own budget and a DHP is given on priority.

I'm sorry but i don't know what a EHP is.

£650 is an awful lot of money for removal costs, is that a removal company? The last time i moved house i used man with a van and it cost me just a couple of hundred pounds and i moved 300 miles, this was just over 2 years ago and i was living in a 3 bedroom house at the time.

All i can advise you to do is to ring your local council again first thing tomorrow morning and ask if a decision's been made on the DHP but there's no guarantee you'll receive it.

Roddy

Thank you... I provided 3 quotes and they were all more or less the same but with one being a good £150 lower than the other 2. I have no idea how they work out their prices, but the Council didn't seem too bothered about that, as they contacted the removal company directly on Friday. They've promised to call me tomorrow by 5pm latest but my support worker is also going to give them call. I can do nothing until then, but I'll be right in it if they cannot help me, as I've nobody else to turn to. It's causing me a lot of stress.

Dotty123

You can get removals from social if you get any benefit off them

Roddy

Dotty123 said:

You can get removals from social if you get any benefit off them

Do you know How, please? I was told by Universal Credit that they only provide a Budgeting Loan for the purchase of White goods only.

poppy123456

A budgeting advance , as it's called for Universal credit can be claimed for anything at all, it doesn't have to be for white goods. However, if you're already paying off an existing loan then you won't be able to have another until the existing one if fully paid.

See link. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/on-universal-credit/budgeting-advance/

Hopefully the council will contact you tomorrow. If you haven't heard from the by midday then i would contact them. Don't leave it to the last minute. Good luck and i hope you're DHP is successful.