[Your address]
								[Your telephone number]
								[Your email address]
								[Date]

By [first class post / hand / email to: [insert email address]

[Address of the Council’s Housing benefit department]

Dear Sir/Madam

Re:	Decision dated [date]
Appeal to First Tier Tribunal; Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000, Schedule 7, Para. 6)
Request for statement of reasons (Housing Benefit Regulations 2006, SI No. 213, Reg. 90, Schedule 9)
      Your ref: [Benefit reference number]

I wish to appeal to the First Tier Tribunal against the Council’s decision on my housing benefit claim dated [date].  I wish to have an oral hearing.

Please forward me a written statement setting out the Council’s reasons for its decision dated [date] on all matters set out in the decision notice and those matters the Council is obliged to notify me of under Schedule 9.  

I am aware that you are obliged to send the statement to me within 14 days, or as soon as is reasonably practicable thereafter.

On receipt of the statement of reasons I will submit my reasons for appealing.

[Include the following sentence if the appeal is about an overpayment:]  Please suspend recovery of the overpayment in accordance with DWP guidance (Overpayments Guide, para. 4.391; Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit General Information Bulletin HB/CTB G18/2010).

[Include the following sentence if the appeal is about a refusal to pay housing benefit directly to your private landlord:]
I note that as my landlord is a ‘person affected’ by the decision they are a party to the appeal, notwithstanding the fact that I am requesting the appeal (Regulation 2; Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit (Decisions and Appeals) Regulations 2001 SI No 1002, Regulation 3(1)(e); CH 180/2005).
[Include the following paragraph if you have instructed a legal advisor or representative:]
The following person is my representative.  Please copy all correspondence in this matter to them:

Name:			[name]
Organisation:		[name of organisation]
Address:		[full postal address]
Postcode:		[postcode]
Telephone no:		[number]
E-mail address:	[email address]
      
I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully




[Your name]

Copy: 	[Insert name & job title of any person you want to forward of copy of this letter to, eg support worker, homelessness officer, legal advisor, councillor, landlord etc.]










E&W_HB_CLAIMANT_10
From claimant to housing benefits
Appealing housing benefit decision to First Tier Tribunal