any benefit experts out there? query re mortgage payments & household insurance payout

[splishsplosh]

slightly complicated story:

Currently DWP pay my mortgage
I'm in a refuge, so am also getting housing benefit paid - though soon they'll only pay one or the other as nearly a year has gone by.

I had a burst pipe in my house (in January), and the insurance company is going to settle (at last!) cash for the building work and for alternative accommodation while the work is being done.

Staff at the refuge say the money will need to be declared to benefits. They tried to find out what would happen - housing benefit people said they would disregard any money for 6 months without it having an impact on a claim (but in 6 weeks i won't be able to claim that anyway if i want my mortgage still paid)

Income Support said that I'd have to send details of my bank account and letter from insurance company and it would have to go to decision makers on whether it would affect them paying my mortgage.

My hope is that I can fix the house, sell it and never have to go back near ex so want to use the accommodation money from the insurance company to stay away as long as possible.

Surely the fact that an insurance company are giving me money for the specific purposes of building work and accommodation can't mean the DWP can justify stopping mortgage payments????

Any advice appreciated

bump??

If the insurance company was purely paying for repairs then it would not be classed as income.

I am at a loss though as to why you have claimed for alternative accomodation from the insurers when not actually living in the property anyway?? The additional money will be income as you have no loss yet claimed anyway.

Forgot to add, how are you going to give receipts to the insurance company re the alternative accomodation?

dual housing benefit can be paid for up to 52 weeks if you leave your home due to domestic violence.

the whole point is so that you can try and get legal things in place to allow you to return to your home.

now that the 52 weeks is almost up, either my mortgage payments will cease and i will be reposessed, or they will cease paying housing benefit to the refuge.

I have an injunction in place so should be able to return to my house. However - because the insurance company still haven't settled the claim, no work has been done, and the hosue isn't fit to live in... so i can't return there til the repairs are done: therefore need alternative accommodation now.

and anyway, due to continued problems with ex, i'd prefer not to return to the house, however i haven't been able to sell the house and move elsewhere because the repairs haven't been done...

as for why would i claim for alternative accommodation even when not in the house at the time of the flood... well, i didn't claim at the time as didn't want to uproot the children again on a temporary basis - never imagined would be 6 months later and still not resolved. But if i had known i certainly would have claimed - living in a 10ft x 8ft room with 2 young children for almost a year (plus communal areas of course) crammed with our belongings... well it is far from ideal, and some of the time the situation is fairly unbearable

• insurance company are going to settle a cash sum for accommodation on the basis of how long repairs are likely to take on advice of the surveyor. so no receipts will be required - the accommodation is not for the last 6 months - it's for time when actually get repairs done

splishsplosh.....Im sleep deprived (so will only be brief and not look up guidance) but am sure you will be fine...by the time you get pay you will be liable for alternative housing costs. Money for building work is just that. Make sure you keep receipts and if possible maybe keep the insurance money in a seperate account. Therefore it is obvious that it is not being used for living expenses.

Think it was me that looked up the dual housing costs thing for you a while again.

Good luck with getting the house sorted and hopefully drawing a line under this difficult period in your life

thanks onadietcokebreak
yes, am sure it was you who helped me before - i wrote and quoted your guidelines, and they agreed straight away.

i should get money soon, but need to find somewhere to live before can move out, and IS said i should send them letter from insurance company, statement from account and they'd decide what happened - but i can't just wait about for them to make a decision, as need a home!

splishsplosh...I cant find the guidance myself but am sure you will be okay. You cant put things on hold as long as what you are paying for alternative accomadation equates to what the insurance company is paying then you will be fine....any surplus will be taken into account as income.