OVERPAID HOUSING BENEFIT

 

If you wish to discuss an overpayment or make an arrangement to repay please call the overpayment recovery team on Peterborough 01733 452651 or e-mail them direct at recovery@peterborough.gov.uk .

 

If you wish pay an invoice you have received, or an instalment on an existing arrangement, you can pay online by credit or debit card.

 

• PAY ONLINE HERE

 

Other methods of payment are available and these are listed in the document available for download below.

 

 

 

All overpaid benefit you are informed of is recoverable unless we tell you different.
If we decide that an overpayment is not recoverable you will be advised in writing.
We may decide not to recover an overpayment if it was caused by our error.

However, if you could have reasonable known that you were being overpaid we may still seek to recover the debt from you.

 

An overpayment will be recovered from either you or the person we sent your benefit award to (e.g. a private landlord).

 

When an overpayment is created we will confirm, in writing, with you and any other person affected (e.g. your landlord) the reason the overpayment was created, the period it is for and whether we aim to recover the debt. This notice will also confirm whom we aim to recover the debt from.

There are several ways of recovering overpayments, these include:

 

There are standard rates of recovery that normally apply to deductions from benefit, however these will be reviewed if a person who is being asked to repay the debt can provide proof that the continued repayment at the rate suggested would result in undue financial hardship.

 

 

You can download a financial statement form to complete if you think you are having difficulty in keeping up with the repayments you have been asked to do.

 

The documents below appear in Adobe® Acrobat® (PDF) format. In order to view them you will need to have Acrobat Reader installed. (Those with visual impairments may wish to investigate Access Adobe, which provides tools and information to help make PDF files more accessible.)  

 

If you are not happy with the overpayment itself and wish to appeal against its recovery because you do not think it is correct you can make an appeal in writing within one calendar month of the date the letter was sent advising you of the debt.

 

You can also get free independent advice from:

 

Peterborough Citizens Advice Centre
41a Park Road
Peterborough
PE1 1SQ

Tel: 0844 499 4120

You can also speak to a solicitor if you wish.

 

Please note that you can ask for an explanation regarding any decision made by this service.
If you would like to do so please contact us.