Universal credit housing element

[Becca19962014]

Does this require a contract? My landlord won't give me one.

Long story as to why not.

Am being forced out of social workers case load because I'm too ill for them and they've been my named contact for benefits (before that I wasn't able to claim at all as my post kept being stolen and money kept being stopped and I was forced reapply every three months as they were determined I was better) - they've told everyone as I'm just getting worse they won't see me anymore or support benefits/services. No CAB or similar and no other professionals as social worker demanded responsibility for everything and now those professionals are out of county and I'm too ill to travel (even with transport I cannot get there, even if I could travel hospital transport here is no longer free if on disability benefits or universal credit).

I'm really scared as there's no way I can cope on (about) £300 a month which is all I will get as social worker discharging means I'll have no one to support application for disability and can't do it myself (like I said no welfare rights here and the iPad I use to access MN won't run majority of websites anymore as so old and can't afford a new one).

I'm in Wales and the transport charges have been put in place by the ambulance trust and health board as it was costing too much for it to be paid in full by health board.

Your landlord has to give you a contract, it’s the law. And yes you need one for universal credit. I’m sure he or she would rather give you a contract than receive no rent?
Any local library / council office will have someone who can help you with your benefit claim. Or get in touch with welfare rights at your council.

No they'd rather make me homeless back on the street and with no social worker I can't get into homeless accommodation (you now need social worker otherwise it's refused as only ten rooms in county now, lots now on the streets here).

Theres no library and no welfare rights at council. I'm rural. The only welfare sort of place is over forty miles away and I can't travel that far, even if I could afford the taxi.

I'm terrified about this.

Social worker advised me to let the contract roll years ago as I couldn't afford to keep paying for a new one plus huge increase. The housing element is a lot less than LHA as well.

I've no guarantor and zero chance of getting anywhere else, everywhere even housing association now want guarantors if on your own and are priced above the housing element which is a lot less than LHA.

I'm such a fool for letting myself think I'd finally got a social worker I could trust not to screw me over - you'd think after over four decades of being screwed around by them lying they'd help I'd know better.

Sorry for tangent.
Thankyou for the help.

"The housing element is a lot less than LHA as well."

Eh?
The housing element is capped at LHA (for private tenants), it won't be less than LHA.

You can do a lot online now, for example Citizens advice offer webchat for help with Universal Credit, and you could apply online for social housing. The council can sometimes help with things like deposits, guarantor etc.

You could ask your GP if there is any local help available, but if there is literally nothing locally then you'll have to do it yourself online or over the phone or somehow scrape the money together to get to the nearest place with help on offer.

Council website says UC element is capped at lowest 30% whereas LHA is more as that's capped at lowest 33% of rents in area, is that wrong then?

Online services are no use to me as I can't get a strong enough signal to use them. I have been trying. Posted here in desperation to be honest and even that takes ages as my signal keeps failing and I need to repost all the time.

I can't physically travel 80 miles in a day. Even if I could afford a taxi for that distance I cannot physically do it anymore. GP knows of nowhere, the only service here are for those with severe mental illness and require cpn/social worker referral and proof of severe problems like being seen by services, as the whole point is my support being stopped I cannot access those services.

The money for rural CAB services is literally just getting people signed up for UC nothing more, I thought it was to help more than that but it's not and again, they've had to stop the service as they couldn't get a good enough signal to do it either.

Online is fine if you aren't rural. If you are it's a nightmare, like mobile phones and digital tv it's horrendously difficult to use them due to signal problems. I'm still using 2G where I live. It's that bad.

Apply for UC here
www.gov.uk and search for apply for UC
Fill out form
Then job centre will request you to their office to show your identification and confirm the terms & conditions
If you can't work, I expect you can claim ESA or DLA/PIP

From the government website:

Depending on your circumstances, you might have to attend an interview at your local Jobcentre Plus. This will usually be within 7 days.

You’ll be told if you need to make an appointment and what documents to take with you. You might be asked to bring evidence, for example:

a current tenancy agreement, rent statement or rent book
a signed letter from your landlord (saying that you live there, pay rent and are living there legally)
details of service charges you’re responsible for
a current mortgage agreement, mortgage statement or bank statement showing mortgage payments
details of any loan agreements secured on your property

---

So, if you don't have a current tenancy agreement, bring whatever you can to prove you live there and pay rent.

A tenancy without a written tenancy agreement is perfectly valid and legal. It puts the landlord in a weaker position in terms of restricting what the tenant can do. In your case anyway it sounds like you signed an agreement years ago? If so, that's still your valid tenancy agreement.

For your landlord to legally evict you is a slow process. Though you might have reason to fear they'd try and throw you out illegally.

Can you email your MP and ask for their advice?

Just to add to my above post: It was a totally different issue, but my MP sent a letter on my behalf and it really helped. I was really impressed with the support from his office.

Yes I've contacted my MP, thanks.

The jobcentre is the other end of the county. The one where I live was closed years ago. I was forced to invove MP after being asked to medical at other end of county - medical services said it was fine as it was within 90 minutes of where I live by car but Ive no ability to travel and that's where the jobcentre now is. I've been no more than five minutes from my door for years.

There was funding for a mobile jobcentre but that was eu money and I can find no evidence it's actually been done.

My landlord won't acknowledge I live here, I not on their system, the property shows as empty as I found when I went to pay rent a couple of months ago. Have a feeling they were waiting for me to go to UC to evict. I've no idea where my tenancy is.

What a mess.

Thanks for the replies though. Sorry I've had no signal to reply since last night.

Really hope your MP can sort things out. Your landlord's behaviour seems extremely strange.

Please ring UC as you can also make the claim over the phone. They can also do a home visit to verify your ID, bank details etc. This is specifically available for people completely unable to attend appointments. Your future appointments can also be done over the phone. I assume your GP would provide you with a certificate to say you are unfit to work. You can enter these details online. You may HAVE to attend the Jobcentre at some point but you can at least get the claim up and running through a home visit.

Explain your vulnerability and rural location etc

Thanks.

They can't come in. There's no room (severe hoarding and no it's not recognised as a problem by anyone just laziness which it's not)l

I know GP alone won't be enough to get disability benefits as when I only had GP previously they were stopped as I wasn't seeing anyone else. GP isn't independant enough for dwp as they advocate for patient. You need secondary services, social worker is last person involved aside from GP so I'll have no one to put on form. No help for appeal/tribunal here and I couldn't cope with going to the court where I'd gone before after being assaulted. Only one court room here for whole county and everything gets heard there. It's horrendous as you wait with those who have (or not) committed crimes with police.

This week during the day for three days I had zero access to phone or Internet, last two it's dropped constantly so can't phone anyone for example or fill in anything online. It was back overnight. This is a common occurance where I live regardless of provider.

Is there anywhere you can meet locally like a coffee shop even?? At least ring them, explain and see what they suggest?

They do have procedures in place for vulnerable people but they won't know unless you tell them and explain fully.

I'll try that. Thanks.

If you live so rurally how do you buy food/pay bills/buy clothes?

Food - local shops (gradually closing but still some left), no delivery option here.
Pay bills - cheque/transfer money using mobile post office/bank which is here every week for 30 minutes (assuming no weather or other issues).
Buy clothes - I don't anymore as I can no longer get out of them due to disability, before that it would be whatever shops are still nearby, don't know if there are any now.

Before everything went online and needed streamlining there were far more options but the first branches to be closed have been rural ones. If I need bank in person it's a long round trip now. You can forget Internet/mobile signals when living rurally - the irony of recieving a letter telling you your local branch is being closed due to so many doing online banking/shopping when you know full damn well that's a load of crap as the government are/were investing millions in trying to get reliable signals rurally in your area.

Do you have a disability that is supported by a charity?
For example my dad receives support from blind Veterans. They helped him with claiming PIP and various other things.
Most charities do have people who support with basic welfare rights.

There are charities im in contact with but they don't help with benefits other than to give details of local CAB and where to get forms. There are two that are uk based, both helplines are now a couple of hours once a week and online presence is Facebook.

Unfortunately it's really hard to get people to understand there are parts of the U.K. that are as rural as where I am.

I did look into moving years but I've no guarantor and no money to pay to move. I'd also lose what little connection I have with people in local shops e.g. If ill they will help out as they "know" me - not literally but I hope you know what I mean, those little interactions where people say hello to me mean a huge amount now.

OK so what needs to be done so that you can claim the HB element?

Provide a tenancy?
Proof of rent payments?
Does the rent come directly out of your bank if so would UC accept 3 months bank statements?

I really do think you need to call UC and explain the situation and get a clear list of what they need and will accept then try work it out from there.

I don't want to pry but is your disability physical/effects your mobility, mental health issue or both?
It may help poster's give advice or do some research for you as I know you said your Internet is rubbish and your ipad old.

Rent is paid in cash. For twelve months, since social worker decided not to help chase it, I've had no reciepts as landlord claims they aren't needed and social worker says it's not their job. Took less than sixty seconds.

Honestly I'm right back where I was when I lost everything before seeing social worker, only now there's no CAB, all but one jobcentre has been closed down, and my medical professionals don't work in the county as their clinics are elsewhere. So now I'm really screwed. Can't even go to the food bank as you need to be able to get there to get the food, again only one in the county.

I'll phone UC when I need to not before, I don't want to be triggering this before it's necessary. Social worker hasn't finalised dumpling me yet so I'm still on ESA and associated benefits. I asked ready for when it stops which will be any time now.

Physical disabilties are rare and identifying. I've over 30 conditions and mental health issues. The difficulties with charities seem to be they're specific so for example contacting local mind was a waste of time because all they did was push me to become a member and join their groups and drop in for chat (building is inaccessible and I've no physical functioning to do those things) after explaining physically disabled as well they didn't want to know. It's the same with other charities as well - yes I have the condition BUT I've others as well which makes coping/managing that condition difficult, an example would be diabetes - I struggle to use my hands and get out, no deliveries so eating fresh fruit/veg daily is no longer possible. I need food I can keep in a cupboard and eat later. I can't stand long (I faint very easily) so can't cook things like dry pasta. When I went to diabetes group I was constantly told to ignore my other conditions and explain why I don't "want" to eat healthily. Arthritis group were pushing everyone to go swimming - I can't as it's very dangerous for me due to other conditions, was told I was making excuses.

Those groups are closed now, but you get my point. If I had "just" one condition it would be much easier. The difficulty lies in having multiple and no one, not even the NHS doesn't multiple needs and conditions.

I've not been able to find anywhere that deals with multiple disabilties. Last person I spoke to (advocate) told me there was loads my GP could be doing and charities etc so I gave her my GP number and got her to ring her - next contact with GP I was told the advocate doesn't have a clue, and email from advocate saying they didn't realise it was so complicated.

This is why I was assigned a social worker who supposedly would help but has, now, also decided its too much for them added to which my GP appointments are to be reduced from twice a month as well (again rural so very few practices around here now).

Sorry for essay.
Not doing well today as feeling frustrated and upset.

Sorry how was your rent paid in cash?
Who paid this to the LL?

I do.