Plymouth Community Homes News Issue 13 (1.3mb)

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Money Matters PCH News Call us on 0800 694 3101 Pay by Direct Debit Paying by Direct Debit couldn’t be easier – and means you’re in with a chance of winning prize vouchers. Everyone who pays their rent or service charges by Direct Debit for at least three months will be entered into the quarterly prize draw. New Direct Debit customers receive a £10 voucher now plus a £20 voucher next April if the Direct Debit continues until March. Existing Direct Debit customers get a £30 voucher next April if the Direct Debit continues until March. If you would like to pay by Direct Debit, pick up a form from your local housing office or the service information centre in Frankfort Gate or call 0800 694 3101. You can also obtain a form online at plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk. Cut costs this Christmas Christmas is an expensive time of year – and can be made more expensive if that is the time you are moving into a new home. £10 VOUCHERS £20 VOUCHERS £30 VOUCHERS The Absolute Recycling Company (ARC), working with the Credit Union, has come up with a solution to help new tenants and householders. ARC collect unwanted electrical items – including cookers, fridges, washing machines, TVs, toasters, hair dryers and kettles for a £5 charge. Then they repair or refurbish them to sell through local community groups and charities for low prices. They have a cut-price starter package of white goods, including a washing machine, fridge and freezer for less than £100 and are referring customers to the Plymouth Credit Union for sensible finance packages. The Credit Union offers a 26.8% interest rate, or a cheaper rate of 12.7% for those who start saving with them 13 weeks before taking out a loan. Andy Hawkins, of ARC, said: “People can get into financial difficulties buying white goods on hire purchase, especially at this time of year, and can find themselves tied into tricky agreements where they end up paying high interest rates. “We offer similar products for sale and want customers to have a sensible rate. Some of these items have just been discarded because the owner has upgraded, others may need a minor repair and all have been safety tested.” For details of appliances contact ARC on 01752 786972 or 780774. For details of loans and eligibility contact Plymouth Credit Union on 01752 201329 or 310698. Christmas opening hours Our service information centre in Frankfort Gate will be open for enquiries between Christmas and New Year on 27, 28, and 31 December. Housing offices will be closed on those dates. Improvement works as part of the Decent Homes programme will finish on 21 December and begin again on 2 January. Our contact centre – which you can call to report repairs – will be open as usual. You can ring 0808 230 6500 (0800 917 9459 between 5pm and 7am). During the Bank Holidays, an emergency on call service will operate for repairs. Our Manufacturing depot at Prince Rock will be closed from 21 December and reopen on 2 January. For more contact numbers see the back page. 8
plymouthcommunityhomes.co.uk Money Matters PCH News How will the new benefit changes affect me? You may have heard that from April, the government is introducing changes to benefits paid to people on low incomes. We want to give you as much notice as possible about these changes so that you can prepare for them. There are three main changes you should know about: • Housing Benefit • An overall limit on Benefits • Council Tax Benefit Housing Benefit The changes mean that some people will get less Housing Benefit than they do now. From April, if you live in any council or housing association home and you have one or more ‘spare’ bedrooms, your Housing Benefit may be reduced. You may have heard this called the ‘Bedroom Tax’. If you have one spare bedroom, your Housing Benefit will be cut by 14 per cent of the rent you are charged every week. If you have two or more spare bedrooms you will lose 25 per cent of your current Housing Benefit. If your benefit is cut you will have to pay PCH the difference between your Housing Benefit award and your rent charged. Here’s an example of what we mean: Mr and Mrs White live in a two-bedroom flat costing £60 per week in rent. At the moment Housing Benefit covers the full cost of their rent. Under the new rules they will have one spare bedroom as couples are expected to share a bedroom. Their housing benefit will be reduced by 14 per cent of their rent (14 per cent of £60 = £8.40). Their Housing Benefit will be reduced by £8.40 to £51.60 per week. They will therefore have to pay £8.40 per week towards their rent themselves. You will NOT be affected if: • You live in a one bedroom flat or bedsit, or if • You or your partner are old enough to receive Pension Credits (In April, the Pension Credits age will be around 61 years and six months). An overall limit on benefits From April, the overall benefits you can receive will be capped. The limit is £500 per week for families, and £350 per week for single people. The government will add up how much money you get from a range of benefits including Housing Benefit; Job Seeker’s Allowance; Employment Support Allowance; Child Benefit; Child Tax Credits; and Carer’s Allowance. If the total comes to more than the maximum amount allowed, your Housing Benefit payments will be reduced. You will NOT be affected if: • You receive Pension Credit or Working Tax Credit • A member of your household is claiming Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance or the support element of Employment Support Allowance. Council Tax Benefit From April, if you are of working age and claim Council Tax Benefit the amount of support you receive will be cut. This will apply even if you are now receiving either full or partial Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit. This is because the government is reducing the amount of money it gives to local councils and is asking them to run their own schemes which may vary from area to area. We don’t know any of the details yet about Plymouth City Council’s scheme or how much individuals will have to pay as a result of this. Where do I go for more info? We understand all these changes to benefits may seem confusing and worrying to you and we want to help as much as possible. If you have any questions, please call your local housing office or the Service Information Centre in Frankfort Gate (all contact details on the back page) and ask to speak to a member of the Incomes Team. Andy Brettle, a PCH Area Manager, said: “There will be a lot of changes to the benefits system over the coming months and years and we appreciate some of them may be confusing for tenants. We are here to help tenants understand what it means for them so if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.” Remember, we’re here to help. There are some other useful websites and phone numbers below: Housing Benefit/Council Tax advice (Plymouth City Council) 01752 668000 Citizens Advice Bureau 08444 111 444 or 01752 520052 Government’s self-help website www.direct.gov.uk Department of Work and Pensions www.dwp.gov.uk Benefits and grant information and benefits calculator www.Turn2us.org.uk Advice on all housing matters, debt and benefits www.England.Shelter.org.uk 0808 800 4000 (freephone) Home swapping www.Homeswapper.co.uk National Debtline www.nationaldebtline.co.uk 0800 808 4000 (freephone) Independent budgeting, savings and debt advice www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk 9
Page 1 and 2: make it happen PCHNews Issue 13 Win
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Page 14 and 15: Leaseholders PCH News Call us on 08
Page 16: Contact numbers Repairs 0808 230 65

Plymouth Community Homes News Issue 13 (1.3mb)

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