To ask for benefits help?

[NearlySpring]

Anyone out there well informed about housing benefit?

My sister just found out she has been entitled to about £25 per week housing benefit which she hasn't been claiming for over 2 years!! She was told by her housing association officer when she moved in that as she works she cannot get housing benefit- she didn't know any different! I just found out and she's got the office to do an estimate over the phone for her.

Has anyone ever had it backdated? I'm going to help her write a letter but she was told it's at their discretion as to whether they backdate. Thing is, she has fallen into arrears with her rent so that backdated money would pay the arrears off!

Anyone work there and can give us some tips of how/what to write?

Also- AIBU trying to get backdated benefits paid? Or should she just accept that she has coped without until now and not persue the backdated money?

If I remember rightly, 2 or 3 months is as far as they'll back date it.

Im not sure they will backdate HB tbh. Be different if it was you that owed them money of course.

Why dont you try the CAB. They could prob help you draft a letter. Or google to see if you have a local claimants advice centre.

Good luck. :)

Here's the information on the Citizen's advice Bureau website:

"You can get backdated Housing Benefit for six months if you can show you have a good reason for not claiming earlier, for example, you were given wrong advice. You also have to show that you were entitled to Housing Benefit throughout the period of backdating ? that you were paying rent, and your income was low enough. You will not usually get any backdated benefit just because you did not know that you could make a claim. You should explain on your claim form that you want to claim benefit from an earlier date, and give your reasons for failing to claim earlier."

www.adviceguide.org.uk/index/your_money/benefits/help_with_your_rent_-_housing_benefit.htm

I would go into the CAB and get some advice.

She won't get it backdated. We were told we were not entitled to it and paid in full for three years, we then found out we had been entitled to it all along. Got it for three months then my work hours went up and I had to stop claiming it [sigh] .