Money Matters – April 2024

A Resident’s story

It can be challenging to manage money when the unexpected happens, whether due to the cost of living, loss of work, someone passing away or if your health declines. But you aren’t alone. Our Income Team is here to help.

Today, we talked about a resident with significant health problems whom we helped.

Health problems

A single resident with longstanding mental and physical health problems, who is in and out of work and surviving only on Disability Benefits and a small amount of Occupational Sick Pay, had accrued multiple debts and was receiving daily phone calls and letters from Bailiffs.

Following significant periods of sickness over the last 2 years, rent arrears had risen to over £6000, and the resident was no longer entitled to Statutory Sick Pay. The resident was also struggling to put their heating on, which was further impacting their health both physically and psychologically. The benefits for disabilities were also stopped, which made it harder for our residents.

How could we help?

With a sense of urgency, we provided the residents with an emergency fund for food and fuel, ensuring they could replenish their utility meters and purchase groceries on the very same day. Additionally, we expedited the setup of a Universal Credit (UC) claim to assist with rent and day-to-day living expenses, and facilitated an Advance Payment to cover the resident for the initial 5 weeks.

Our appeal against the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decision to halt disability benefits was not only successful but also resulted in a significant amount of back-dated money. The financial boost allowed the residents to clear a portion of their rent arrears. The Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) agreed to eliminate the remaining arrears, effectively reducing the debt to zero.

Furthermore, it was important to support the resident in accessing Talking Therapies.
Our collaboration with a National Debt Charity was essential in setting up an affordable repayment plan with all but one of the debtors. This comprehensive plan has not only put an end to all the unwanted calls, letters, emails, and texts, but also established a separate payment for council tax arrears, ensuring a more manageable financial situation for our residents.

Finally, we referred our residents to the council’s Occupational Therapy department for adaptations, including a wet room, to make life at home more accessible.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, feel free to contact our Welfare Benefit & Debt Officer Jane on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing JaneW@ccha.co.uk.

 

The Housing Ombudsman is inviting our residents to apply to join its Resident Panel and contribute to its work to improve residents’ lives through ccha’s services.

As a panel member, you will be invited to share experiences and suggest improvements through regular meetings and virtual discussions with the Ombudsman.

You will also be asked for consultation feedback through surveys, placing residents at the centre of everything the Ombudsman does. You will learn more about the role of the Ombudsman and how you can tell your local communities about the work.

It is an exciting opportunity for all our residents to be part of the Ombudsman’s vision to embed a positive complaint-handling culture across the sector and ensure your views are heard.

The Ombudsman is looking to recruit a panel representative of the diverse demographic of residents living in social housing across England. You do not need experience as a scrutiny panel member, have made a complaint to us or have used the Ombudsman before to apply. The panel will comprise residents living in all types of housing.

Applications are open now and will close on 30 April 2024. Just be mindful that the Ombudsman may close applications early if they receive an exceptionally high level of interest.

To apply, access their website to start your application. Alternatively, feel free to find out more about it on their website.

In case you have further enquiries about the residents panel, get in touch with us on 0800 054 6710 or customers@ccha.biz

Every year, millions of pounds go unclaimed in Married Tax Allowance. Could you be entitled to backdated money?

If you are married or in a civil partnership and one of you does not earn enough to pay tax, is on benefits, studying, or is unwell, and the other earns less than £51,000 per year, you could be entitled to some of the money back. You won’t be penalised if you apply and are not entitled so it’s worth trying. Make sure to apply by 5 April 2024 and you could get some money backdated!

The rules are straightforward:

Applying only takes a few minutes. If you’re eligible, you’ll receive the money you’re owed within a few weeks by cheque or BACS payment. Just be aware of any scams, and do not click on links in emails or text messages.

How it works:

The non-taxpayer transfers 10% of their tax-free earnings allowance to the taxpayer, who then receives some money back from previous years or a change in tax code.
The non-taxpayer should apply using the online application on the HMRC website or by phone HRMC on 0300 200 3300.

Please circulate this to friends and family, as only some eligible people know or claim it.

You can only backdate the application for 4 tax years, so don’t delay. The deadline for the maximum backdated payment is 5 April 2024.

If you have any enquiries or need support, please contact Jane on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing JaneW@ccha.co.uk.

Cost of Living Payments

Did you receive yours?

Remember that the Government Cost of Living payments for those on means-tested benefits or certain disability benefits should come automatically into the same bank account where you receive your benefits—you don’t need to apply again. If you receive a call, text, or email asking you to apply for the Cost of Living (COL) payment, it could be a scam. 

There were 3 payments due to those on qualifying benefits for 2023/2024, for £301, £300 and £299. 

Qualifying benefits include: 

If you believe you were entitled to the most recent COL payment but did not receive it, you can either apply online or call the DWP office that pays your benefit. Ensure you contact the DWP office that pays your benefit for earlier COL payments. 

Suppose you became eligible for one of these qualifying benefits later, and the benefit was backdated to the qualifying period (see table below). In that case, you may be one of the residents who missed out and should contact DWP about a ‘missing COL payment.’ 

To save time, please check your bank statements carefully to see if you were actually paid. 

Which Payment?

 Qualifying period

You were in receipt of a qualifying benefit or subsequently became eligible for that benefit during the dates below

 Date you should have been paid
£299 Cost of Living Payment 13 November 2023 to 12 December 2023.

 

 Between 6 February to 22 February 2024 for most people.
£300 Cost of Living Payment 18 August 2023 to 17 September 2023.

 

 Between 31 October and 19 November 2023 for most people.
£301 Cost of Living Payment 26 January 2023 to 25 February 2023. Between 25 April and 17 May 2023 for most people.
Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 (for those in receipt of PIP, DLA, or Attendance allowance) 1 April 2023. 20 June 2023 and 4 July 2023.

Good news story

One of our residents reached their State Pension Age at the start of September 2023. Their claim for Pension Credit was not assessed for several months due to a mistake by DWP – her claim was finally evaluated in February 2024. She was eligible for a small Pension Credit, which was backdated to her birthday in September 2023. This means they had eligibility for Pension Credit for 2 of the above ‘qualifying periods’ and will now receive a £200 and £300 Cost of Living Payment. Furthermore, as she was on Pension Credit for the correct qualifying period, they became eligible for the £150 Warm Home Discount Scheme. A total of £650 was awarded for help with the cost of living.

A change in the law for Bereavement Support Payments

Until recently, couples who aren’t married or in a civil partnership and live together were not eligible for support payments when their partner passed away.
This has changed since 9 February 2023, and now couples who are dependent on children can make new claims for Bereavement Support Payment if their partner dies. The law change will ensure more children in bereaved families are equally supported, regardless of their parent’s legal relationship status.

For more information, please visit Bereavement Support Payment page.

A resident story: Backdating for those who lost their partner before the change in law

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) opened a particular 12-month application window for bereaved parents with dependent children whose partner died before 9 February 2023. This ‘window’ closed on 8 February 2024. ccha welfare advice service supported one resident to apply on 7 February, just in the nick of time! 

Our resident sadly lost their partner, who they were living with but not married to, a few years ago. Our residents shared parental responsibility for their partner’s child. 

We applied for backdated Bereavement Support (lump sum payment) and a monthly fee to cover the period between when the partner passed away and when their child turned 18. Obviously, nothing will make up for our resident’s loss. Still, the backdated DWP payments enabled them to clear several debts and put some money away for the future. 

Claims for Bereavement Support Payment can be made online via gov.uk, over the phone or through a paper application form. Claims for Widowed Parent’s Allowance will be processed by paper. Paper applications can be downloaded or requested over the Bereavement Service helpline.

Annual changes to your rent 

If you receive help to pay your rent directly to you or the landlord (ccha), you will shortly receive a letter telling you what the new rent will be from April 2024 to the end of March 2025. 
You must read the information below and take any necessary actions to pay the correct rent for your property.

For Housing Benefit claimants

If your Housing Benefit is paid directly to you, it is your responsibility to inform the council that pays your benefit what your new rent is:

If ccha receives your benefit directly, we will inform the council of any changes to your rent. However, you can also call or email them to make sure they have the correct figures. In case you need help and support, please contact our Welfare Advisor Jane White on 0800 054 6710 or by email janew@ccha.biz.

For Universal Credit claimants 

You will receive a message and a link in your ‘TO DO’ list on your UC journal. Please follow the instructions to report your new rent. Please note that you must report these details correctly and on time. If your letter states RENT and SERVICE CHARGES separately, you should write these figures separately in your UC journal. The instructions in the link will guide you, but please call us on 0800 054 6710 if you need any help. 

Please also contact us if you have not received a link by 4 April 2024. 

 

 

If you are renting your property, we may not cover your contents as part of your tenancy agreement. It’s a good idea to check when your belongings would be covered and consider whether a home contents insurance policy would cover you in certain situations.  

Contents insurance is designed to help protect your possessions. No matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk that your belongings could be broken, damaged or stolen, and home contents insurance can help provide peace of mind.  

You can use price comparison websites to find an insurance policy that would work for you and your budget or have a look through your bank or other insurance providers.

It’s important to be mindful of how you dispose of your waste, as it can lead to costly and inconvenient repairs.  

Drain blockages can cause damage to pipes and prevent water from draining correctly. Occasionally, engineers will have to spend weeks using high-powered water jets and hand tools to break down rock-like heaps which block sewers and drains. Thames Water suggests that many of these blockages are caused by items like wet wipes, sanitary items, and cotton pads that can’t break down. When these items combine with cooking fats and oils, they eventually block pipes, forcing raw sewage back up drains, plugholes, and toilets into homes.  

To help prevent this, please do not put any of the following down your drains: 

For more information on properly disposing of waste in your area, check with your local authority. 

If you need to report a blockage, please contact us on 0800 054 6710 or by emailing customers@ccha.biz.

Please note, if ccha attend to sort out a drain or toilet blockage and it is found that waste has been disposed on incorrectly, you may be recharged for the call out.  

As a resident, knowing what repairs you are accountable for and what repairs we are responsible for is essential. 

ccha is responsible for repairing common areas of buildings and estates, external decorations, ensuring installations for supplying services are in proper working order, and more. We also ensure that fire and safety equipment is inspected regularly, and fire risk assessments are completed as needed. 

On the other hand, residents are responsible for minor repairs such as internal decorations, replacing flat keys or fobs, and keeping their private gardens tidy and pest-free. It’s important to promptly report any repair or disrepair concerns and provide access for property inspections and repairs.  

Home improvements

As a resident, you can improve your home anytime at your own cost. You must make a written request that details your plans. Before and after the work is carried out, we have the right to inspect the property to ensure that it meets an acceptable standard. If the job requires specialist skills, such as gas or electrical work, it must be carried out by a suitably qualified person who can provide the relevant certificates.  

There are various types of improvements that you can make, including installing new appliances, light fittings, power sockets, and changing fixtures or fittings. You can also build or change fences and walls, extend the property, or install TV aerials or satellite dishes. We will only refuse your request with good reason and explain our reasoning in response to your written request. However, it is important to note that you must maintain any improvements you make.  

However, any non-standard items at the end of your residency must be removed and ccha will not take responsibility for the work or do any repairs to it in the future. For further information, read our Repairs & Planned Maintenance Booklet.  

Damages 

If there is damage caused to the fixtures and fittings in our home by you, your family or any visitors, you will be responsible for repairing the damage yourself or paying us to do so.  

Lastly, when your tenancy ends, we will inspect to ensure that your property is in good condition and that any non-standard fixtures have been replaced. 

If you need to make any changes to your home or report any damage, you can contact our customer advisors by emailing customers@ccha.biz or calling 0800 054 6710. If you prefer to send a physical letter, please mail it to ccha, FAO Property Services Team, 29 Sheldon Street, Croydon, CR0 1SS.29 Sheldon Street, Croydon, CR0 1SS. 

By working together, we can ensure your homes are well maintained.  

Check out the latest winter edition of our Connections today.

This edition covers topics such as:

Additionally, we have exciting competitions for you to enter to win digital Love2Shop vouchers, including a chance to participate in photography activity.

We hope you find this edition of Connections exciting and informative. If you have any feedback, please feel free to get in touch by emailing Sam at samm@ccha.biz.

Want to receive Connections directly to your inbox? Sign up for our email list.

We are happy to provide print versions, large print, audiotape, Braille, and translated versions if you require the newsletter in a different format. Please request yours by calling 0800 054 6710 or emailing customers@ccha.biz. 

When there’s a problem in your home, we understand how important it is to fix it as soon as possible. Our priority is ensuring your home is safe and comfortable, and we always aim to provide an efficient and responsive service. The time it takes to complete repairs can vary from 2 hours to 28 days, depending on the severity of the issue. We prioritise repairs based on their urgency, with the most critical maintenance completed within 24 hours. 

Emergency repairs – attend within 2 hours, completed within 24 hours 

These include issues such as: 

Urgent repairs – completed within 5 days 

These include: 

Routine repairs – completed within 28 days 

These include:

For more information, please read our booklet online.  
To report a repair, you can call us on 0800 054 6710, email customers@ccha.biz or submit a form.   

To report heating problems or arrange a boiler service, call Smith & Byford on 0800 169 7703. For gas emergencies or if you smell gas, call SGN on 0800 111 999. immediately.  

Supporting our residents through the Cost of Living crisis

We know that paying bills, buying food, and keeping up with increasing energy costs is hard if you have a low income. We want to help our residents where we can. 

ccha has a small fund and can provide vouchers for food, gas or electricity if you are experiencing financial hardship. 

You do not need to be on benefits to apply, you can be in work, out of work or on a State Pension.

If you have savings or already received support from our fund in the last 12 months, we may not be able to help and can only help again in exceptional circumstances.

If you are struggling and would like to apply for help, please contact our Welfare, Benefit & Debt Advisor, Jane White by emailing customers@ccha.biz.

If you do not have access to email, please call us on 0800 054 6710 and we will arrange for Jane to call you back.

ccha resident –
“Thank you for everything you did for our family. I can’t imagine the kind of 2023 I would’ve had otherwise. There were positives in the latter half of the year for us, and I do not doubt that most of them were only possible because of the help you gave me and my family.”

Calling all residents of pension age and above

Many people aged 66 or above miss out on hundreds of pounds annually by not claiming their pension credit when they could be eligible.

If you, a friend or a family member are a pensioner and your total income is less than £220 per week, or you are a couple with a combined income of less than £320 per week (which does not include any money you receive for disabilities such as Personal Independence Payment, DLA or Attendance Allowance), please do get in touch with our Welfare Advisor on 0800 054 6710 to see if you could be entitled to pension credit. 

If you receive disability benefits, you may be entitled to a pension credit even if your income exceeds this. 

Even if you are only entitled to a few pounds of pension credit, receiving pension credit is a gateway to discounts such as free NHS dental care, specific government cost of living payments, etc.

Good news story –
A resident on zero income was referred to our Welfare Advisor before Christmas. We established that his state pension was suspended nearly a decade ago because the DWP could not contact him. After dozens of phone calls and emails, the DWP agreed to backdate his benefits, and he received a nice lump sum in time for Christmas!

Warning to Self-Employed people on Universal Credit 

A word of caution for those thinking of starting their own business in regards to Universal Credit and the Minimum Income Floor (MIF).

If you receive specific means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, you may find that the DWP works out your payments based on an assumed income, which could be higher than your actual income. 

For example, you may only make a profit of £500 a month, but if the DWP decides you are ‘gainfully self-employed’, they may assume that your income each month is at least £1400, even if you make a loss and your payments will be reduced, possibly to nothing. 

Only some self-employed are subject to the Minimum Income Floor. For example, if you are a carer, sick or the primary carer for your children, you could be exempt from these rules. If you are currently self-employed and subject to the MIF, and your circumstances change by being unable to work or reducing your work hours, please contact the DWP immediately to tell them of your change of circumstances. If your MIF is too high, you may be able to get this reduced.

True story – One of our residents had a growing business and was also on Universal Credit as their income was still relatively low. After 12 months on Universal Credit, the DWP applied the MIF and assumed payment of £1450 per month. Our resident became sick and was not making any money at all. Our resident’s Universal Credit payments were reduced to zero as the DWP took income rather than the resident’s actual income, which resulted in a surge of rent arrears. Our Income Team assisted and negotiated with the DWP to get the MIF removed and payments backdated.