Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit (UC) meaning most people can’t make a new claim for it. If you don’t qualify for Housing Benefit, check if you can claim UC instead. Take a look at our post on Universal Credit for more information or go to gov.uk. Housing Benefit can help you pay…
Pension Credit is an extra sum of money, separate to your State Pension, to help cover living costs (rent, grounds service etc) if you are of State Pension Age and on a low income. You can also claim if you’re a carer, severely disabled for responsible for a child/minor. If your Pension Credit claim is…
Basic State Pension State pension (SP) was created to try and ensure that everyone has a foundation for their retirement income which increase with the rate of inflation each year. It’s funded by National Insurance (NI) contributions, what you receive is not directly impacted by how much you’ve earned over your working life but by…
Universal Credit (UC) is now available in all Jobcentres within the UK. More and more people are being asked to claim it, or transfer over to it from other previous benefits. As it’s a new scheme and may cause confusion, we’ve put together a list of questions and answers that you might find useful. If…
A new government backed scheme has launched to give those with debt some Breathing Space (the Debt Respite Scheme). It aims to help over 700,000 people struggling this year in England and Wales. The scheme will give those eligible 60 days to get their finances in order with certain legal protections. There will be no…
The convenience of online shopping is unmatched. Browse and buy from the comfort of your own home? Amazing. Click and collect while you’re out and about? Incredible. But it does leave you open to online scams. We’d like to give you some advice on how to avoid scammers and keep yourself safe online. Are they…
Being a private and independent advice centre, we run a little differently from others. So, naturally questions arise quickly and often. Take a look below to see if we can answer those queries quickly! What do we give advice on? London Advice Centre offer guidance and consultation on a wide range of issues. The main…
Furlough Overview At its peak, furlough was maintaining 5.1 million jobs (January 2021) (now approximately 3.4m). Over 11.5 million jobs have been supported (most recent figures from 30th April 2021 – via gov.uk) since the scheme began in March 2020. Costing an estimated £66bn, the scheme has protected millions of jobs, but it is due…
The rental property eviction ban ended on 1st June. The renting housing eviction ban was lifted on 1st June 2021.If you’re case has reached the stage where a bailiff-enforced eviction is possible, you can be issued with only 2 weeks’ notice of a housing eviction date. Bailiffs were asked not to evict you if you…
As lockdown restrictions continue to ease with an end date of July 19th in sight, ‘normal’, or the ‘new normal’, is beginning to return. A key part of this being the return to work There’s no doubt that the past year has caused stress on everyone’s life and coronavirus will have lasting effects on everyone….