Pension credit stress

[keepingcalm12]

DWP/pension credit keep writing to my poor mum asking for details of her service charge, who cleans the windows etc

She posts things, they don’t seem to receive them so more requests

She is disabled so can’t get to the post office so can’t send anything recorded she also has severe COPD so spending ages on the phone repeating her situation is very difficult

It’s making her quite stressed - will they stop her payments if they don’t receive the info they need? I think they expect way too much from a very ill 81 year old

It took 10 months & everything I had (I even shed tears of frustration) to get her this pension credit in the first place - her financial situation has not changed

Had anyone had a similar experience?

Why would pension credit want to know who cleans her windows? Have you seen the letters ?

Does your mum own her property on a long lease or is she a tenant?

This is very bizarre. The DWP isn’t interested in how people spend their pensions / pension credit. It’s calculated based on income and savings over £10000.
https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/eligibility
So no one is going to ask her what she pays for cleaning her windows!

I suspect they are trying to find out what’s included in the rent?

Would she agree to you having POA?

One of my elderly relatives had to do an income and expenditure form - my cousin told me about it just to get an idea of what expenses they had etc….
I don’t think they asked for actual receipts tho I can’t remember now, but I remember she had a right game with it.
the scenario occurred as my great uncle died and my great aunt didn’t have a full state pension and they live in social housing and then when he died obviously his state pension stopped and she got half his occupational pension which didn’t cover everything but it took weeks to sort. Thankfully the housing association were brilliant and froze
the rent etc but it might have been a different ballgame with a private landlord!!!!

Are you sure it isn't scam callers? That sounds bizarre, i would take over the calls if you have time, your mum can give verbal permission for this, and have you seen the letters?

Ah i see a Pp has heard of this, i would still phone them on your mums behalf and sort it out.

Get POA urgently and take control.

Pension credit can help with ground rent and service charges so it looks like they're checking out that aspect.
Just check that the address you're writing to is correct and do it for your Mum.
You can also ask about being made an appointee so you'd handle your Mum's DWP affairs for her.

She Is in a privately owned apartment with a service charge & they are asking for the breakdown behind the service change figure (inc cleaning windows)

I think you are all correct I’ll have to go over there and call them

If only the DWP would accept an email but no everything has to go via Royal Mail (unreliable) or over the phone so I have no record - it’s such a outdated way of working

As it's privately owned is there a management company who issue annual financial statements that you can check for a breakdown of expenditure?

Yes - I think mum has already sent them her only hard copy! I will have to step in