Please allow me to try and help you. Others have answered my questions and now I can attempt to help someone in a meaningful way. Before I gave up full time work to help my mum I worked in the benefits field. Clearly I do not know your full financial position but based on the limited information provided yes you should make a claim. The only hurdle to you making a claim is you should have capital eg bank, building society, shares, etc, below £16000. That was the figure when I left. It may have changed so regardless contact your local authority Housing Benefit team. I would suggest you may also be eligible to claim Pension Credit. Interestingly in certain instances you can get that benefit even with capital over £16000 and if you get the Guaranteed Pension Credit type that would allow you to claim Housing Benefit even with capital over £16000. Sorry that might seem baffling but benefits are. You have to unpick the lock. I cannot give guarantees but please follow these points up, who ever gave you the advice is most probably better aware of your circumstances. You mention no occupational pension income and even if one is paid, it would have to be significant to stop all Housing Benefit entitlement. Housing Benefit should be able to do an initial calculation to see if it is worth making a full claim (known in benefits parlance as a “manual assessment”) and give you a contact number for Pension Credit. Ask if there are still any rules about paying pensioners retrospectively for a past period? I have been out of the field for nearly two years so that may well have now ended, but it was set at 13 weeks.
If eligible for Housing Benefit you will be helped to pay the rental element on your liability. Any service charges like heating, lighting, etc, you would still have to pay. Housing Benefit is hard to keep simple on paper when full facts are not known, but I strongly recommend you pursue Housng Benefit as outlined if your capital is below £16000. Even if above that level contact Pension Credit. As my mum would say “it would do no harm to ask”. If you feel daunted contacting Housing Benefit please be assured there are many people in that field who try their best to help people. You could always seek an initial contact with Age Concern.
On what you advise I would say subject to you being within the capital limit then yes you should make a claim. Housing Benefit and Pension Credit. Hope this helps. Others have helped me with queries regarding my mum, as we have got going on her dementia road. It is my good fortune to read your query and be able to give some help to another member of this forum. It is what makes this little world unique, valuable and helpful. Good luck with the claims.[/QUOTE]
