Housing Benefit Cancelled

[NoWaterAfterMidnight]

Hi all

I really need some advice please.

I have had a nightmare making two changes of circumstances within a month to Housing Benefit due to changing from self-employed to employed and back again (very long story) and have had two requests for changes of information from HB.

The second one was dated 25th September and asked me to provide information to them by 7th October.

I posted the information next day signed for delivery on Friday 5th October.

I received a letter today saying my claim is cancelled because they did not receive the information by 7th October.

On calling the call centre they said it was received but processed on the 8th October. My issue is the 7th october is actually a Sunday so of course no-one was there to open the letter or put it on the system. I couldn't have handed it in in person either over the 6-7th because their centre is not open on the weekend.

In addition when I've looked at the dates again for providing information they have not given me two weeks to do so, if it had been two weeks from the date of the letter then 9th October would have been the cut-off point.

I've written a letter as advised and sent it today but I am very worried about this. Surely they cannot count a weekend day when it was in the next working day as the cut-off? And also why did they not give me two weeks..does anyone know about the rules for providing further information and the timeframes allowed? I find it odd that the first time they requested information off me they gave me a month but the second time a weird timeframe that is not quite two weeks?

I'm worried they will say 'well we only processed it on the 8th so tough luck' but I feel this is pretty unfair.

Any advice?

[lisaro]

You had time to get it there, so the weekend thing isn't really valid.

[JakeBullet]

You posted it well in time and they signed for it on 5th October...they are in the wrong here. Get back on the phone to them in the morning, point out that they signed for it on 5th October...therefore it was received on time....unless I've misunderstood your OP.

[lisaro]

Friday special delivery is only guaranteed to be there Monday.

[SheppySheepdog]

Write to them and ask them to look at the decision again. Even if they do not accept that the information was received on time (and if you posted it on the Friday and the offices were closed sat and sun they probably didn't receive it til the Monday ) and your claim remains cancelled, it's only a matter of filling out a form to get a new claim set up, you won't be required to provide all your info again (except maybe uptodate income info) and can request a backdate to the date your previous claim was cancelled.

[SheppySheepdog]

Ok I see what's happened. The cancellation letter was probably sent out before the info was processed. You usually have a month after the cancellation of a claim to provide the missing info in this case anyway so I believe the claim will be reinstated and the cancellation won't stand.