TENANT’S NEWSLETTER SPRING 2016 Credit Union Membership Fees Ayrshire Housing’s Board recently agreed to pay the monthly fees for the next three years for any of our tenants who have an open and active bank account or wish to open an account with 1st Alliance Credit Union. This will take effect from 1 April 2016. This shows how keen our Board are to encourage tenants to consider opening and maintaining credit union bank accounts and is part of our overall approach to trying to lessen some of the impacts of welfare reforms and financial hardships that our tenants are facing. 1st Alliance offers a number of very attractive products including access to affordable loans and are very much aware of the need to provide access to banking products which might otherwise be unaffordable to many of its members and also many of our tenants. Ayrshire Housing has worked in partnership with 1st Alliance for almost 3 years and we are keen to continue to work with them for the benefit of our tenants, many of whom have already been accessing the services which 1st Alliance provide. If you are interested in becoming a member of 1st Alliance Credit Union and wish to open a bank account with them then please do not hesitate to contact your housing officer who will assist you with your application.
Upcoming Housing Benefit Changes From April 2016 - the maximum period for which someone’s Housing Benefit can be backdated will be reduced from 6 months to 1 month, even in exceptional cases. We know that for a number of reasons it can sometimes be difficult for tenants to make a timely claim for Housing Benefit and the ability to ask for a claim to be backdated if there was good cause often provided some valuable breathing space in such cases. This breathing space has been significantly reduced by the change from 6 months to 1 month and it is therefore critical that claims for Housing Benefit are made as quickly as possible. From May 2016 – the Family Premium is being abolished for new claims for Housing Benefit. From Autumn 2016 – the Benefit Cap i.e. the maximum amount of benefits a household can receive, will reduce from £26,000 to £20,000.
Look out for Ayrshire Housing coming soon to Facebook!
www.ayrshirehousing.org.uk Text Message 07527360360 Telephone (01292) 880120 or Lo-Call 0845 271232