Contents

  1. How to appeal
  2. Ask us for more information about the decision
  3. Ask us to look at the decision again
  4. Advice on filling in the appeal form
  5. Help with Housing Benefit appeals
  6. Housing Benefit appeals tribunal process

If you have got a letter from us telling you about a decision on a Housing Benefit (HB) or Council Tax Benefit (CTB) you can ask us to look at the decision again:

This section tells you how to do this for your HB claim. For appeals against Council Tax Support decisions made on or after 1 April 2013 please go to our Council Tax support appeals page.

You can ask us for more information about the decision before you ask us to look at the decision again. You can also appeal against the benefit decision to an independent tribunal but we recommend you ask us to look at the decision again because we can often change a decision if you give us more information.

 

How to ask us to look at the decision again

You can:

  • Fill in the online benefits appeal form
  • Write in and ask us to look at our decision again. You can contact us by e mail us or send a letter.

You must tell us clearly why you think the decision is wrong.

Note: If you have asked us to explain our decision, the one month is still counted from the date of the decision letter. If you ask for a written statement of reasons you will have the one month from the date of the decision letter plus the time we took to send you the statement of reasons.

Late requests

If there are special circumstances which mean you cannot contact us within one month, we may still be able to change the decision. Tell us what the special circumstances are when you contact us. If we agree there were special circumstances and we change our decision we will change it from the date of the decision.

If you do not have special circumstances, we may still be able to change the decision. But this will usually only be from the date we got your written request.

 

What we do if you ask us to look at our decision again

When you ask us to look at a decision again, we will check that the decision is correct. A different member of staff who was not involved in the original decision will usually do this.

 

If the decision can be changed

  • If you asked us to look at our decision again in time or had special circumstances which meant you could not, we will change the decision from the date of the original decision.
  • If you asked us to look at our decision again after one month and did not have special circumstances, the decision will usually be changed from the date we got your request.
  • We will send you a letter telling you what the new decision is.
  • If you do not agree with the new decision, you can ask us to look at it again.

 

If the decision cannot be changed

  • If the decision cannot be changed, we will send you a letter telling you that we cannot change it. The letter will confirm the original decision.
  • The letter will tell you if you can appeal against the original decision.
  • If you can appeal, the one month time limit starts again from the date of the letter confirming the decision cannot be changed.

See also

Discretionary housing payment

Related websites

Tribunal Service

Contact us

Merton Benefits Service
PO Box 610
Merton Civic Centre
London Road
Morden
SM4 5ZT

Email: housing.benefits@merton.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 8274 4903

Opening hours