A week since my new claim call to
DWP..... i haven’t received a call as promised.
I call the 0330 number again,
better prepared this time, i have a fresh cup of tea and cake as i anticipate
the long wait.
11mins on the phone,
I explain to the lady whose name
i didn’t catch as she had a very strong Scottish accent, that i hadn’t received
a call and i was beginning to get a bit concerned.
She placed me on hold to read the
notes.
She confirms i have not had a call, but then questions me as to why i
have left it so long to call to chase this up, “really you should have called
us on the third day if you hadn’t heard from us” suddenly i feel that their error
is somehow my fault and i find myself apologising ...
She tries to book me in an
appointment but the computer system seems to have been designed by NASA and she
needs to put me on hold while she gets her supervisor.
56mins on the phone
I am reliably informed that i
have 2 appointments booked for the day after tomorrow, she runs through the ID
i need to take and a copy of my tenancy, i quickly explain my dilemma and that
my AST is periodic, she repeats the pervious information that it must be within
3 months.
I ask what would happen if a
fixed term 12 month tenancy had been signed 5 months ago, this is a contract
that cannot be changed as its a fixed term... her reply floored me. “ it wouldn’t
be valid for us to make a payment, you would need to get a new tenancy for the
last few months so that its less than 3 months old”
So both Housing law and Contract law have no
standing in the world of DWP, i fear for social tenants who are on secure
tenancies which have been in place since the 80s, this could open a can of worms
that could give housing associations and councils the opportunity to reduce a
tenants security of tenure if a new contract needs to be issued..... I make a
mental note to research this later.
1hr 19minns on the phone
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