Overpayment recovery
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Recovery by invoice
If you are not in receipt of housing benefit, we will invoice you for the full amount of your overpayment.
You must pay this invoice within 1 month.
If you cannot pay the full amount you should request to make a payment arrangement.
It can take up to 10 days to respond to your message.
Take money from your other benefits
If you have not paid your invoice within 1 month or arranged to pay, we can take it from your other benefits.
We can ask the Department of Work and Pensions to take weekly amounts from the benefit or allowance you get.
The Department of Work and Pensions will let you know the amount which we will take and the date when it will begin.
Recovery from landlords
We may deduct the amount owed from housing benefit paid to you for your other tenants. You must then, by law, treat the other tenants' housing benefit as received in full.
If the overpayment was due to fraud, we will ask the tenant to repay the debt. If the landlord was not involved in the fraud.
Debt collection agencies
We may refer your overpayment to a debt collection agency if you do not:
- repay the money you owe within the specified time
- keep to an instalment plan we have agreed with you
Once we have done this you won't be able to make payment arrangements with us and will need to contact the agency. The agency will also seek to recover any costs.
Courts
We may take you to court if you do not:
- repay the money you owe within the specified time
- keep to an instalment plan we have agreed with you
If we take you to court, we can:
- instruct the court to ask your employer to deduct the money you owe from your wages
- ask the court to place a charging order on your property if you own your own home
- ask the court to get your bank account frozen. If you have savings in a bank account, we can get the amount owed paid in full
- request the court to make you bankrupt, but only as a last resort
The court will also expect you to pay any court costs that occur.