Home   Benefits   Housing Benefits   Make a Housing Benefit appeal

Make an appeal

If you're unhappy with a decision about your claim for Housing Benefit you can:

  • request a 'Statement of Reasons' explaining how we made our decision
  • ask us to revise our decision 
  • contact the independent Tribunals Service 

How did we make the decision?

When you make a benefit claim, your circumstances change, or you have to pay back benefit, we'll send you a benefit decision letter that shows you the information we used to work out your benefit.

You should check this letter carefully before appealing our decision.

If you don't understand the decision, or want more information about it, please contact us. We can send you a 'Statement of Reasons' explaining in more detail how we worked out your benefit.

Please note: if you request a Statement of Reasons more than 1 month after we made our decision, we can still explain the decision but may not be able to look into it further.

What if I disagree with the decision?

If you think our decision is wrong, you can ask us to:

  • look at our decision again
  • pass your case to an independent tribunal that is run by the Tribunals Service

You must write or use the appeals form and tell us why you think your benefit is wrong and whether you want us to look at the decision again or pass your case to the Tribunals service.

request an appeal online

We must get your notification within 1 calendar month of the date in the decision letter. The 1 month time limit does not include any time it takes us to send you a Statement of Reasons.

Once we've looked at your appeal we'll do one of the following:

  • decide not to change our decision
  • change our decision and pay you more benefit
  • change our decision and pay you less benefit

If you appeal and are still not happy with the result, we can pass your case to the independent Tribunals Service. If you have already asked us to pass your case to them, this will be done automatically. If not, you will need to write to us within 1 month of the date of our decision letter and tell us you want this to happen.

Tribunals Service

When your case is passed to the Tribunals Service, we'll send you a copy of our case. The Tribunal Service will send you a 'Tribunals Service Enquiry Form' known as a TAS1.

The form will ask whether you want your case to be dealt:

  • in writing
  • by attending in person

You'll have 14 days to return the TAS1.

At the hearing, the Tribunal Service will look at the:

  • evidence
  • law
  • circumstances at the time we made the decision you're appealing against

The Tribunals Service will notify you in writing of their decision. 

Contact Benefits

Email

Email the Benefits Team

Telephone

01294 310000

Address

In writing:

North Ayrshire Council, Benefits Section, Cunninghame House, Irvine, KA12 8EE

In person:

  • Customer Service Centre, Bridgegate House, Irvine, KA12 8BD
  • The Town Hall, Countess Street, Saltcoats, KA21 5HW

Is this page useful?