How to Appeal a Decision

If you want to know more about a decision regarding your Housing Benefit, or if you think it is wrong, you should contact us as soon as possible. If there is anything you are unclear about, we can provide you with an explanation – a written statement of reasons.

If you disagree with a decision you can ask us to look at it again. If we cannot change the decision we will tell you why. If you still disagree, you can appeal the decision.

How do I get more information about the decision?

If you would like further information to help you decide what you want to do, you can ask for a ‘written statement of reasons’. This will provide you with a more detailed explanation of our decision. You should ask us for this within one month of the date on your decision letter.

Can I ask for the decision to be reviewed?

If you would like us to look at our decision again you should let us know within one month of the date of the decision letter or within one month from when you got a ‘written statement of reasons’.

When you ask us to look at our decision again, we will:

• Where possible, arrange for a different member of staff to reconsider the decision
• Check that the decision is correct
• Change the decision if it is found to be wrong
• If you do not agree with the new decision, you can ask us to look at it again

We may be able to look at decision again after a month if there are special reasons for delaying your request.

Appealing against a decision

You can appeal a decision within one month of the date of your notification letter or the date of the new decision. You can still appeal even if you have already asked for an explanation, or for us to look at the decision again.

To appeal against a decision, you must write to us saying which decision you are appealing against and give your reasons for doing so. If you appeal outside the one month time limit you must say why your appeal is late.

What happens next?

The Appeals Service will deal with your appeal and arrange for a hearing by an independent tribunal. The tribunal is made up of people who are not from the Housing Executive. You can choose between an oral hearing and a paper determination.

You can attend an oral hearing and have the chance to speak. You can take someone with you to represent you and you can call witnesses to give evidence.

A paper determination is where the tribunal sits in private and considers the appeal using only the paper evidence presented.

You will be given a ‘summary decision letter’ explaining the tribunal’s decision as soon as possible after the appeal hearing. If you do not agree with the appeal tribunal’s decision you may be able to appeal to the Social Security Commissioner.