To wonder if this Housing Benefit person on the phone was unprofessional? Or is this normal?

[Tensioneveryfuckingday]

I get housing benefit at the moment. There was confusion a few weeks ago and my payment wound up getting stopped and I was on the phone trying to sort it out.

I explained I had been on holiday for a week. The person on the phone started asking me how I paid for it and said I couldn't expect the council to pay my housing benefit, that they would expect me to pay my rent instead.

I was taken aback and didn't really know what to say so I just said I was not going to argue with her, thanked her for her time and we finished the call.

Since hanging up I have googled and what I thought seems to be correct - that people can have many weeks of absence without it affecting their payment, holidays are included. I then called the council back, and spoke to somebody else who confirmed that it was ok that I'd taken a week's holiday.

I'm just a bit scared and anxious. It's even on my file that I have an anxiety disorder (because they keep overpaying me by mistake, and I keep having to go in and sort it out and I find it very stressful and difficult so wrote a statement about how each time they overpay me it affects me badly) so I can't help wondering if she saw this and chose to stick the knife in by trying to wind me up?

What would you do?

I think I would complain. Ask where it is written council policy that people on housing benefit should not ever go on holiday. Be nice and polite but be assertive. There is no excuse for this.

I'd report. It's none of her business why you had a holiday, where you went, how you paid for it. None of her business whatsoever. Find out who the fuck her supervisor is and report.

It is fairly usual these days but it is not allowed but they get away with it because nobody saying anything

Did you get the names of the people you had spoken to?
I would ask for the seemingly more professional advisor each time I phoned.

It is unlike that they would have misinformed you on purpose, I would think rather, that they are misinformed/fobbing you off/busy/unprofessional...

If you feel very strongly, then make a complaint.
Iirc, MIND have a service where they will advocate/complain on your behalf.
They do in our town anyway.

Try not to worry.

Put in a complaint, it's not on for her to question you how you afford to go on holiday.
Cheeky cow! It sounds like you are not working because of disablement, and therefore will be in the position of being on benefits long term. Does she expect that you roll over and play dead until such a point that you come off of benefits?

It's absolutely not in her job description to ask you them sorts of questions! Unless of course you were having a two month long 5* holiday.

Try not to worry about it, sorry it's made you feel anxious, she was being an idiot,

Report it.

Thank you.

Yes, I got her first name. I think I will actually make a complaint - I'm pretty ok at dealing with this stuff now, but if this had happened a year ago when I had had a breakdown I would be in tears and very distressed panicking at this and also deeply embarrassed. Thankfully, I ain't like that now (I'm edgy and uncomfortable about it, but not having a full blown panic attack) as I'm recovered a good bit but there are bound to be others out there who are vulnerable who are recipients of this sort of crap

there are bound to be others out there who are vulnerable who are recipients of this sort of crap

This is why you have to complain, OP, as any one of those vulnerable others may well be tipped over the edge by such comments as they may fear that their rent won't be paid because they had a holiday.

for your continued recovery - if you're brave enough to post on AIBU you can take on the world

Yes, unprofessional. And yes, apparently typical behavior of hb advisers.

I've had a very similar exchange with one. She was a top shelf fecking nob head.

You should complain. I'm sorry I didn't. I was at my all time lowest ebb so I responded by pathetically crying my eyes out instead. I'm getting the rage now - breath, BREATH!

Absolutely nothing to do with anyone how you paid for your holiday.She had no reason to ask you and no right to comment .
Put in a complaint if you wish although I doubt it will get very far unless the calls are all recorded.

You can have 6k in savings before your housing benefit is affected in any way. It's none of her business how you financed your holiday! I would complain too.

Does she realise that when people go away on holidays it could mean they are staying with friends or family? It doesn't necessarily mean extravagant spending. What a rude woman and I think you should definitely put in a complaint about her.

Housing benefit continues to be paid during short prison sentences. It's not in anyone's interests for prisoners to lose their properties.

Report her.

bastard I got told by Cheshire west that it was £3000.

Does is vary from county to county?

One time I was handing in some paperwork to HB and the guy behind the counter informed me that most new claims these days were by youngsters who couldn't be arsed to get a job, and were lazy and they should all get clips round the ear as it never did him any harm. I was open-mouthed, but way too vulnerable at the time to complain about what he said - I was scared of the HB people, because of the attitudes they held and their ability to stop payments seemingly at the drop of a hat and take ages to sort it out.

Another time payments were stopped absolutely in their error. I cried on the phone and was pretty much hung up on, no apology or even a shred of sympathy despite me staring an eviction notice in the face due to their cock up (which they admitted was their fault!).

I could go on, lots more examples..but yea this does not seem unusual from my experiences.

I think you should report her if you feel up to it.

Please complain! People like that should not be working in those job positions. I'm sorry you had to deal with her but glad she didn't cause as much anxiety and stress as she could have with a less on-the-ball person.

Oh, they're vile.

Really seem to look down on their clients.

Post-breakdown them and the jobcentre staff had me in tears many times.

I do wonder if it's deliberate to stop you from claiming. I dragged myself back to work before I was ready because the jobcentre were so cruel about paying ESA.