An overpayment occurs when you are paid more Housing Benefit than you are entitled to.
You will be notified by letter if you are overpaid, this will explain:
- How much the overpayment is
- Why you were overpaid
- What your correct benefit entitlement is for the period of the overpayment
- Who the overpayment is being recovered from
Overpayments can be recovered in various ways:
- From your ongoing Housing Benefit award
- Directly from your earnings or DWP benefits
- Directly from your landlord (if payments were made to the landlord in the first instance - in certain circumstances)
- Via third parties such as enforcement agents or the County Court
- From you via an agreed payment arrangement.
If you think our Housing Benefit overpayment is wrong, you have one month from the date of our decision to:
- Ask us for an explanation.
- Ask us to look at the decision again, and if we can change it, we will send a new decision. If we cannot change it, you will have a further month in which to appeal.
- Appeal in writing for an Independent Appeals Service Tribunal to look at the decision again. This should be submitted to Rossendale Borough Council.