Help for those who have chosen to stay on legacy benefits?
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Tressell1
Online Community Member Posts: 25 Contributor
I originally posted this as a reply to some one else's post . But i wanted to start a new discussion in case someone else is going through the same and has maybe had this situation resolved, or got some official advice on what to do ?
I thought I was the only one going though this ! I've been in tears since Friday night when my Housing Association called to tell me as no rent has been paid they are in the process of taking me to court to evict me !
I was told I have the choice to stay on my legacy benefits (SG ESA & PIP) by ESA and not to change over until I get a letter from them telling me to change over during managed migration . UC said not to apply as I'd be losing about £45 per week and told me to send an appeal to my council but by then it was already too late . This is all because my HA decided to take 2 months to give me my tenancy agreement , the last piece of evidence the council were waiting on for my change of address from my old flat in the same borough that was in receipt of housing benefit!. We went to court in early May so I could succeed the tenancy of my late Mother ,I won , but to spite me they didn't give me my tenancy agreement until July, and they knew June 20th was when my Local Authority became a full UC area.
This has left me with no money to pay my rent (£160 pw) and in significant arrears . I'm paying what little I can a month but its a drop in the ocean.
I quite agree with the OP , and have been so angry for months when I think about how people like us have not been accounted for in this disgusting mess of an overhaul that clearly isn't working ! Why give us the choice to stay on legacy benefits if it means we won't have housing benefits !? And they wonder why homelessness is at a horrific level !? No doubt because of situations like this!
My only choice now is being forced back into work , which will cause a breakdown due to mixed anxiety and chronic depression.
For the last two nights I've been fighting the urge not to take an over dose. I have to take medication just so I can get to and stay asleep as I'm numb from stress and still grieving my Mother .
I am so sick of them spouting the same lies when faced with evidence they are leaving the most vulnerable poor and destitute !
My heart is aching when i think of those forced on to this horrible 'benefit' who will have nothing this Christmas .
The sooner these evil demons are out the better !
I thought I was the only one going though this ! I've been in tears since Friday night when my Housing Association called to tell me as no rent has been paid they are in the process of taking me to court to evict me !
I was told I have the choice to stay on my legacy benefits (SG ESA & PIP) by ESA and not to change over until I get a letter from them telling me to change over during managed migration . UC said not to apply as I'd be losing about £45 per week and told me to send an appeal to my council but by then it was already too late . This is all because my HA decided to take 2 months to give me my tenancy agreement , the last piece of evidence the council were waiting on for my change of address from my old flat in the same borough that was in receipt of housing benefit!. We went to court in early May so I could succeed the tenancy of my late Mother ,I won , but to spite me they didn't give me my tenancy agreement until July, and they knew June 20th was when my Local Authority became a full UC area.
This has left me with no money to pay my rent (£160 pw) and in significant arrears . I'm paying what little I can a month but its a drop in the ocean.
I quite agree with the OP , and have been so angry for months when I think about how people like us have not been accounted for in this disgusting mess of an overhaul that clearly isn't working ! Why give us the choice to stay on legacy benefits if it means we won't have housing benefits !? And they wonder why homelessness is at a horrific level !? No doubt because of situations like this!
My only choice now is being forced back into work , which will cause a breakdown due to mixed anxiety and chronic depression.
For the last two nights I've been fighting the urge not to take an over dose. I have to take medication just so I can get to and stay asleep as I'm numb from stress and still grieving my Mother .
I am so sick of them spouting the same lies when faced with evidence they are leaving the most vulnerable poor and destitute !
My heart is aching when i think of those forced on to this horrible 'benefit' who will have nothing this Christmas .
The sooner these evil demons are out the better !
3
Comments
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Surely if you have the date you moved in or your tenancy started they should backdate your claim I read too often that these kind of things are happening you would think that they would get their act together and sort things out and stop people from stressing and making things worse good luck0
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I don't think you've read anything I've written ,I am not on UC .Username_removed said:I don’t see that a tenancy agreement is relevant. All that matters is that the rent you say you pay is verifiable and then your housing costs are included as part of your UC. This verification is automatic via the landlord portal in a full service area. Anything where what you say the rent is doesn’t match anything else us called an untidy tenancy. When that occurs it’s currently lap of the gods as to what UC pay. Something? Nothing? 50%. A random figure. Take your pick. So, if UC have not paid, have you actually done an MR?
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-rented-housing--2/universal-credit-and-rented-housing-guide-for-landlords#evidence-requirements-and-checking-claims
https://housingsystems.co.uk/Universal-Credit/Housing-Costs/Untidy-Tenancy0 -
Angiebabes2410 said:Surely if you have the date you moved in or your tenancy started they should backdate your claim I read too often that these kind of things are happening you would think that they would get their act together and sort things out and stop people from stressing and making things worse good luck
You'd think they'd have made arrangements for those who have been told to or chosen to stay on their legacy benefits , since ESA for current claimants is still in payment !? This entire **** is a shambles ! Thank you , will update when i find out more .
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Agreed with @Username_removed this tells me that you already applied for UC.Tressell1 said:. UC said not to apply as I'd be losing about £45 per week and told me to send an appeal to my council but by then it was already too late .
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Please all remember the importance of respecting other members. We don’t have to agree on everything but respecting other members is important to keeping the community safe and friendly.2
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The user and all related content has been deleted.1
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Do you get SDP? Try to ask why it is £45 less.
People on ESA SG without SDP are often better off on UC, so try and verify if you will actually be worse off.0 -
No, I called them to ask. I'm still on legacy benefits .poppy123456 said:
Agreed with @Username_removed this tells me that you already applied for UC.Tressell1 said:. UC said not to apply as I'd be losing about £45 per week and told me to send an appeal to my council but by then it was already too late .0 -
The user and all related content has been deleted.0
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Nope, I'm sorry you felt insulted ,but its actually quite clear in my third paragraph and title I'm still on legacy benefits. Perhaps you misread , but I am talking about being left without HB because my HA didn't give me my tenancy agreement in time, to give to my local council as proof of my new address before they became a full service area. And then being told when I phoned UC ( Not applied ,just enquired) not to apply for UC as there would be a loss of all of my SDP at a rate of £45pw . I then phoned ESA and was told the same.Username_removed said:
Yeah thanks for the insult. Your third paragraph is somewhat garbled and easy to misinterpret.Tressell1 said:
I don't think you've read anything I've written ,I am not on UC .Username_removed said:I don’t see that a tenancy agreement is relevant. All that matters is that the rent you say you pay is verifiable and then your housing costs are included as part of your UC. This verification is automatic via the landlord portal in a full service area. Anything where what you say the rent is doesn’t match anything else us called an untidy tenancy. When that occurs it’s currently lap of the gods as to what UC pay. Something? Nothing? 50%. A random figure. Take your pick. So, if UC have not paid, have you actually done an MR?
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-rented-housing--2/universal-credit-and-rented-housing-guide-for-landlords#evidence-requirements-and-checking-claims
https://housingsystems.co.uk/Universal-Credit/Housing-Costs/Untidy-Tenancy
My question was if anyone still on legacy benefits who had been told the same had any advice on what to do rent wise, until we are all officially switched over with transitional protection in place in 2019. In addition, what if any, official advice they had been given.
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I'm in ESA SG with SDP , which is the part that would be lost .worried33 said:Do you get SDP? Try to ask why it is £45 less.
People on ESA SG without SDP are often better off on UC, so try and verify if you will actually be worse off.0
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