Getting it right - dealing with housing benefit and priority debts
Full day
Background
Housing benefit provides essential support for people on low incomes to help pay the rent. As a result any problems with claims and payments of housing benefit can lead to rent arrears and problems with other priority debts such as fuel and council tax arrears. This exciting new course combines both benefits and debt advice and is essential for anyone who is involved in promoting financial inclusion.
Aims
To provide practical strategies to support tenants withhousing benefit problems and the resulting difficulties with paying rent and other bills.
To enable you to understand the advantages of financial inclusion for tenants.
Contents
- Understanding housing and council tax benefit decisions
- How to advise when benefit is stopped
- Dealing with information and evidence
- Overpayments and recovery
- Challenging decisions
- Identifying priority and non-priority debts
- Understanding enforcement powers
- Minimising fuel bills
- Making the most of utilities trust funds
Suitable for
Housing Connections, Salix Homes, registered social landlords, rent income and support teams, benefits advisers and anyone involved in supporting tenants with financial problems.
What participant's said last year
"Very good - lots of good practical advice"
"The course recapped my debt advice skills and gave me information on housing benefit"
"10 out of 10!"
This page was last updated on 4 October 2009
