UC Claim form now online

A couple of interesting points.

On the general information pages it says “If you don’t have internet access

Your local council will be able to provide internet access and face-to-face advice. “.  Is that true everywhere?

It repeats that, “If you need help making your claim online

You can get face-to-face advice at your Jobcentre, from your local council or get help over the phone.”

I wonder why they insist on an online claim when they say “How to claim

You’ll claim Universal Credit online and then attend a face-to-face interview.

You’ll be told where and when you’ll have to go for your interview.”  I suppose this is a pilot only process as everyone will be full conditionality.

On the form the help for service charges says “Eligible service charges are service charges that you can report to Universal Credit as housing costs. Your service charge statement from your landlord will show which service charges are eligible. If you’re not sure, contact your landlord.”

Given the guidance to landlords on service charges has just been published, and most are very unsure, this will be easy.

Well I have just tried to do a cheeky claim online and guess what

“The service is temporary unavailable”

I’ve got £100 (in monopoly money) for the first person in the next 6 hours to show me a service charge schedule specifiying which of those charges are eligible for UC

They can be found here:

http://www.ccpscotland.org/assets/files/hseu/Universal credit and draft guidance on service charges Jan 2013.pdf

Does this get me the 100 :-)

Eligible service charges
The list of eligible services is much improved
compared with the first draft of the Universal
Credit regulations. Rather than identify in
detail all possible eligible service charges the
guidance sets out 4 categories (A, B and C
on page 6 and B (D?) on page 7)
External lighting costs associated with paths,
unadopted roads, car parks and security was
an issue of concern to social landlords. The
latest guidance appears to include these
external lighting costs as set out in Category
B (page 6) eligible service charges:
‘The ongoing maintenance, cleaning and
utility costs of:
• Communal grounds maintenance (general
basic gardening for communal gardens
such as lawn mowing, tree management,
hedge maintenance, litter removal etc.,
lighting and maintenance costs for areas
of external access (where the tenant is
liable to pay for these);
• Tenant parking (this does not extend to
the manning of car parks for security
purposes);’
The maintenance of fire protection
equipment was an issue of particular
concern to social landlords when the first
draft was consulted on. The latest guidance
states that the maintenance of ‘fire alarm
systems’ will be an eligible service charge.
Social landlords may wish to comment on
whether this description adequately covers
the equipment they provide.
Property insurance is less clear in terms
of how it will be treated. It is not included
as an eligible service charge though it is
not identified as an ineligible item either.
Clarification from the DWP as to whether this
is something which will be considered to be
an eligible service charge will be sought.
Window cleaning continues to be eligible
only where windows are on the ‘upper
floor of a multi-storey property’. Social
landlords have previously expressed
concern that eligibility should be extended
to windows above ground floor of any
block of flats where windows are not
designed to be cleaned safely from the
inside. In correspondence with the DWP
it appears that the DWP considers ‘upper
floor of a multi storey property’ to mean
all floors above ground level. Clarification
will be sought from the DWP. In the case
of retirement housing which is not classed
as sheltered or supported housing social
landlords are concerned that the cleaning
of ground floor windows should be eligible
also. This is not the case for tenants under
retirement age and therefore subject to
Universal Credit.
Communal rooms and communal services
in retirement housing, that is, housing which
is not classed as sheltered or supported
housing. The latest guidance appears to
cover these costs under Category B:
‘The ongoing maintenance, cleaning and
utility costs of: ……
• Internal areas of common use outside of
the home (hallways, corridors and rooms),
including provision of security and fire
alarm systems.’

See This attachment

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/universal-credit-service-charges-guidance-landlords.pdf

Published a couple of days ago

Just for interest, I had a go at the UC Personal Planner using fictitious but fairly standard responses
https://secureonline.dwp.gov.uk/universal-credit-preparation/

It tells me I need to change my behaviour..
By:
- getting online by going to my local library who will give me details of courses so I can learn how to use one of their public computers to claim UC
- opening a bank account as although I can have UC paid into my Post Office card account I can’t set up direct debits and I need to be able to do that because:
- I need to learn how to budget on a monthly basis and pay my own rent to my landlord

I don’t think it believed I was single either because it kept telling me if I was a member of a couple I would only get a single monthly payment.

Garvey - 08 May 2013 02:56 PM

...... aren’t they shutting loads of libaries?  :/

Yes (at least where I live if not where I work). When you add the apparent almost impossibility of getting a paper claim form for PIP it should solve the problem of “out of control” welfare spending nicely.