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Tackling The Contentious Areas

Summary

This course has been designed specifically for Housing Benefit Officers, Housing Association staff, and benefits advice staff. Housing Benefit funds large parts of council/housing association rental income and can be a major contributory cause of rent arrears.

Aims

To examine and illustrate (with the use of case examples and group exercises) a number of the areas of Housing Benefit administration which can cause friction, sometimes even conflict - between those staff trying to assist tenants to maximise their entitlement and council Housing Benefit staff, charged with administering this complex and ever changing scheme.
To explain how claimants and their representatives can best set about questioning and, if need be, challenging decisions through First-tier tribunals and Public Sector Ombudsman.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course you will better understand:

Who can legitimately claim HB?
What is meant by 'Occupying the Home', 'Moving Home', 'Occupying two Homes'?
What constitutes a claim? What evidence is required? When should benefit normally start? The exceptions to this rule; 'backdating' and 'good cause'.
When can you 'backdate without cause'?
When can 'Ignorance of the law' help to justify a retrospective award?
Reviewing/Superseding a claim, due to ignorance/mistake of fact/ error of law & change in circumstances. What is Review/Supersession and when does the change apply from and how far back can additional benefit be paid?
Non Dependents - How to correctly apply the charge, and minimise/eradicate unnecessary/inflated deductions.
What constitutes a legal decision? How to question/challenge a decision and submit an appeal to First-tier tribunal?

Who should attend?

Front-line staff who need some level of knowledge of housing benefit, to ensure they can help tenants maximise their entitlement to Housing Benefit, and in so doing, reduce the potential for rent arrears accruing.

How to Book

We are currently running this event in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Housing.

To book onto one of the already arranged events, please see the course page on their website.

Alternatively, if you would prefer a private showing of this even, please contact us.