If we make a decision on your Housing Benefit claim and you would like more information about this, or if you think the decision is wrong, you have the right to request further details, request a review of the decision or appeal the decision.
Written Statement of Reasons
You have the right to request a written statement of reasons from the Housing Executive. This will explain how we have made our decision and the information we used. You can request a written statement of reasons by:
Writing signed by you and sent to your local Housing Benefit office
Email to your local Housing Benefit office; or
Phone on 03448 920 902 regardless of where you live.
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Asking us to review our decision
If you want us to look at our decision again, you should ask us:
This period can be extended if there are important reasons why you could not contact us earlier.
How we review our decision
To review your Housing Benefit decision, 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's wrong
If you do not agree with the new decision, you can ask us to look at it again. If you request this after the one month time limit, you must say why your request is late.
Appealing a decision
You must appeal a decision within one month of the date of your notification letter or the date of a new decision.
You can request an appeal by:
Your request must include details of:
If you appeal after the one month time limit, you must explain why your appeal is late.
Once we receive your request, we will reconsider the decision and advise you of the outcome as soon as possible.
The Appeals Service
If you appeal a decision and we do not change that decision, your appeal will then be sent to The Appeals Service. An independent panel will then decide if the Housing Executive has made the correct decision.
Late Requests
It is important that you contact us as soon as possible if you would like:
In some circumstances, the time limit for requesting an appeal can be extended to 13 months from the date we send your decision letter to you. If you are making a late request, you must explain why you could not make the request sooner.
The information in this section is for general advice only.
Contact your local Housing Benefit office if you have any queries.
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