Any maths/rent account wizz's about please?

[RentySpenty]

I need help calculating how much credit I am in with my rent account.

I was getting a reduced amount of Housing benefit (I was entitled to 100% but there was a period where something was being processed so I was liable to pay x amount myself for several months)

Now that issue is sorted they backdated the payments I had been making myself, so that my housing benefit was fully covered.

But they've credited it to my rent account rather than myself so I need to request it back.

My account is 4 weeks in arrears always (absolutely normal and how they prefer to do it)

So each week it's minus £126

So when I get to Housing benefit pay day my balance is usually ZERO. Squared off. Then the next week it goes back to minus 126.

I think I'm more than what's shown in credit as it's already deducted one week off?

I have learning difficulties so I'm struggling to get it really??

Hopeful bump as someone is ringing me back soon

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Last try

If that's all you're in credit by, leave it in there to give you some breathing space in case of future fuckups.

Other than that, phone the HA on Tuesday.

For the next 3 years I will be getting 100% housing benefit.

There wasn't a fuck up, it was deducted whilst I was waiting to be awarded a disability benefit.

That's a lot of money to me. And I've been down in my payments the last few months because it.

And I already rang but like I explained I have a disability and like to have everything written down so I do t get confused

It's not even two weeks' money. Seriously, leave it in there.

What amount do you expect to be paid in every 4 weeks? E.g. what is 100% housing benefit for you?

I think what you're saying is your rent is £126.77 per week, and every 4 weeks you will now receive £507.08 in housing benefit, so that payment is your normal one.

So the extra they have paid you is £170.94 plus the £126.77 - assuming that your HB will continue to be paid 4 weeks.

That adds up to £297.71.

You're in credit a bit more than that because you had gotten into a credit position back in July, which I think from your messages you don't normally do. But I would suggest leaving that there for now because it's hard to tell exactly what's going on and the £297.71 looks like a definite excess payment from what you've said.

It sounds from this thread (and I think your last one too about disability benefits and your son, assuming you're the same person) as though you're struggling to manage your money right now, and that that is being made a lot harder by your learning difficulties. Is there anyone who could help you with this in real life - I think it's often easier to understand this sort of thing sitting down over a cup of tea.

Why?

What's the point?

In 17 years of rent I've never been in arrears so why leave hundreds of pounds sat in an account when it would make a huge difference elsewhere

I make it out as £440.

Currently on

19 Aug, balance is £314.09 CR

26 Aug (minus £126.77) Balance will be £187.32 CR

02 Sep (minus £126.77) Balance will be £60.55 CR

09 Sep (minus £126.77) Balance will be MINUS -66.22
But that day £507.08 will go in taking the Balance to £440.86 in CR

When normally on the day of my HB going in the Balance is ZERO.

So I have £440.86 in there extra?

@Ineffable23 I think you have me confused with someone else x

Will it be extra though, or is that money supposed to cover the rent for September? So at least 380.31, for 3 weeks, possibly an extra week for October depending when it gets paid.

No, it's 4 weeks in arrears. That's how the housing does it.

So once the rents paid my balance is zero usually (or around 20/30 in credit)

Them the next week it goes down by 126 again.

I'll psy for Septwmbers rent in October when I get £507 again 4 weeks later.

Surely the amount is just whatever you paid in yourself to cover the reduced amount? How much was that.

Surely the £507.08 is to pay your rent for the next month?

The housing benefit is to pay your rent. If you withdraw it, what will you pay your rent with? You'll need to transfer it back at £126.xx per week to cover your rent. What's the point of withdrawing it to pay it back each week.

Your account should never fall in arrears, which it looks like it currently does. If anything, I'd say you need to top your rent account up by £60 ish to stop it from falling in arrears at the end of each month.

The reason I have extra is because I've been paying towards the rent myself each month whilst my PIP assesment was happening and now that money has been refunded by the Housing Benefit people . But refunded to the Housing Association, not me, even though each month I've had to struggle to find an extra £80 to cover what should have been included in my HB.

So it is my money that I've been putting in each month.

And if I was on a partial HB award o would just leave it but for the next 3 years I won't pay a penny of rent from my disability payments so it's just going to be sat in there

Around £400. For 5 months I paid £80ish

When you start your tenancy they tell you that your rent is 4 weeks in arrears.

That's the way they work it. So I will never get a phone call about it because it's totally normal. That's how they set it up.

I've spoken to my rent officer many times and it's completely normal with HA and HB.

The housing benefit is paid in arrears for the 4 weeks previous, not the 4 weeks ahead.

So it's supposed to hit zero on the day of Housing benefit going in.

I moved in to this property a year ago and have made every payment on time to the schedule that they set up and the system they set up.

It might look like arrears on paper but it's how it's supposed to be, this is what's been said to me many times the first few months I moved in because my account was always £126 in debt the first week

And I tang them freaking out and she explained it to me many times.

My rent is 126.77 x 4 = £507.08

My housing benefit is £507.08

I don't need to pay a penny.

The £507.08 that will go in on 9th September covers 12th Aug to 9th September.

I will get money for 9th September to 7th October on 7th October. Another £507.08 going in.

So the £440 EXTRA will still be sat in there.

And the month after that..
For 3 years

Give it another 2/3 months , see what happens , how it all works and what you have left. If , indeed, you are left with hundreds that you don't beed you can look at having it refunded into your actual bank account.

A quick Google shows me that council house rent payments are generally required to be paid weekly in advance. Feel free to tell me which authority so I can find out if it's different, but I've yet to come across one that is.

You could withdraw all over £126.xx (your week in advance), and then pay back in £126.xx weekly. But you can't withdraw and spend your month's rent money, it's for paying your rent!

I don't mean to be rude but I've been In social housing for 18 years.

I'm not in debt. Both my rent officer and housing officer have confirmed this several times.

And every month on the day my housing benefit goes in my balance goes from - £507 to zero. And the next month starts then gets paid at the end of that 4 week period.

I moved in with all my money in place, paid my week upfront
They set up the payment schedule and amounts to be 4 weeks in arrears. Not me.

Sent them a message on my portal yesterday asking if I was in credit and just looked it and theyve replied (didn't get a notification like i usually do that theres a message) it says that I am several hundreds in credit but a housing rent officer will have to decide if it can be credited back fully or if they will keep a weeks rent as a buffer and they'll call me on Tuesday

I did have a missed call today but I didn't answer it as I didn't know who it was. It usually comes up with the housings name.

It sounds from all your messages on here as though you know exactly what's going on OP. So if you overpaid by about £80 per month for 5 months the £400 you calculated would be correct. If they keep a week's buffer it would be £270 ish to be returned - but it sounds like they're going to do the calculations for you, which is hopefully easier. Fingers crossed they call back on Tuesday as they said they would and that they refund the money fairly soon.