Tag: carer

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Under Attack: Tenants And Homeowners Fight Against Damp, Legal Troubles, and Agency Challenges

In 2015 the Green Deal scheme was launched which gave homeowners the chance to make energy-saving improvements to their homes without having to pay an upfront cost.

In the rush to insulate and without the knowledge to see if their properties were suitable to have insulation, many homes had unsuitable works carried out.

This has resulted in thousands of properties that are now which are now having problems with dampness and mould.

Loft or cavity wall insulation,  can save the home  owner or tenant a lot of money each year. It’s estimated by The Energy Saving Trust that cavity wall insulation costs up to £1,800+ to install, but  can save between £180 and £690 a year on your energy bills, depending on your home. Loft insulation costs up to £890+ and can save between £330 and £590 a year.

So how did it all go wrong? The companies providing the cavity wall insulation either didn’t have the knowledge to install it correctly, or in worst case scenario ignored the installation instructions.

In many cases insulation was put into roof spaces without taking care to provide adequate ventilation which has caused a build up of condensation that can rot timbers.

Adequate care was not given towards inspecting the properties to see if there were any causes of water seepage into homes for example missing slates, broken gutters and inadequate pointing on outdoor walls and chimney breasts.

This results in the cavity wall insulation eventually becoming  completely saturated. This isn’t obvious until it’s too late because the insulation is so absorbent.

Insulation can also get wet if there are gaps in pointing between the bricks or if a gutter leaks for a long time. Bricks absorb water and eventually this saturates the insulation thus leading to damp getting into the house.

This is a perfect environment for mould to grow. The UK is experiencing increasing amounts of rainfall and  things are likely to get far worse in the future.

Removing wet insulation is a specialist task and doesn’t come cheap. A cost of around £3,000+ is common but leaving it isn’t an option because the dampness can be severe and causes mould which goes on to cause health problems if left.

Damp and mouldy homes can and does  put lives at risk and the cost of living crisis is making it much more acute.

Condensation often creates damp as well but this can be dealt with by opening windows  when cooking and after baths and showers because moisture has to be allowed to escape.

So where are the companies that installed the cavity wall insulation and should they be held responsible for this?

In an ideal world yes they should, but the companies involved aren’t trading anymore.

Failure to conduct a thorough property inspection, including a detailed assessment for water ingress points and monitoring for mortar accumulation within wall cavities, could spell disaster for homeowners. Such oversights turn properties into potential ticking time bombs for damp issues.

Thousands of individuals sought recourse through no win, no fee solicitors to address their damp woes. However, a concerning trend has emerged as numerous legal companies have folded, leaving a trail of financially crippled clients. Many find themselves saddled with exorbitant bills after these firms go under, rendering them liable for all accrued legal expenses.

Damp-Stricken Residents Left in Limbo as Green New Deal Firms Vanish

As the battle against cold and damp conditions rages on, many homeowners find themselves trapped in precarious living situations. Seeking legal recourse against Green New Deal companies has become a Sisyphean task, with these entities vanishing into thin air. The inability to hold these defunct companies accountable has left individuals grappling with the harsh reality of inhabiting persistently cold and damp homes.

For homeowners seeking solutions, their sole recourse lies in reaching out to the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA) for a comprehensive damp inspection. Yet, delving into this avenue may prove more complex than anticipated, given the reservations echoed in the available reviews concerning this agency.

https://ciga.co.uk/guarantee-holders/

For tenants residing in both social housing and private rented properties, initiating any form of action proves to be a seemingly impossible challenge. The inability to request landlords to conduct property inspections coupled with tenants’ inability to pursue this course of action further complicates this situation.

It is crucial to acknowledge that living in a cold, damp dwelling can have extremely serious consequences for certain individuals. Urgent measures must be implemented to safeguard the well-being of these tenants and restore their homes to a habitable state.

Photo by Kat Smith on Pexels.com
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Secret Report Uncovers DWP’s £251 million Reclaim From Carers

DWP (Department of Work and Pensions minister Paul Maynard has reluctantly admitted that they will be taking back a staggering quarter of a million pounds from claimants who were overpaid carers allowance.

In total of £251 million is being recovered from 134,800 carers which ultimately averages out at almost £1,900 per claimant although some owe a great deal more.


It is hard to overstate the distress that this level of debt is likely to be inflicting on people who had very little income in the first place.

Taking money from carers that have saved the government thousands, possibly millions is obscene. These debts were completely avoidable if the DWP and HMRC had done their jobs properly in detecting overpayments as soon as they occurred.

Elsewhere Benefits And Work have revealed that the DWP have finally been forced to publish a report that contains details of people’s experience of claiming and receiving Carer’s Allowance.

But in true DWP and Tory government style the report was given to ministers in 2021 which was which they fought hard to keep secret until now.



In the report only 3% of the people interviewed  had been subject to overpayment recovery which is much lower than the real total.

The report reveals that it’s clear to see that many of those interviewed had no knowledge how their overpayments occurred or what would happen as a result.


Indeed one of the claimants that were found to have been overpaid were understandably angry and frustrated at being treated like a fraudster, when in reality they had honestly misunderstood the complex rules around earnings:

“I fought hammer and nail on it. I felt it was a real victimisation. They don’t think… It’s like you’re dealing with a computer not a person. I ended up with a big overpayment, but it totally wasn’t my fault. It’s like they don’t believe you.”

The government and future administrations are facing increasing pressure to address the scandal and prevent similar instances of overpayments in the future.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com
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Unveiling The Truth Behind DWP Carers Fines



It has recently been revealed that the DWP (Department Of Work And Pension) has profited by almost £5 million in the last four years directly from fining unpaid carers £50 each when they’ve been found to have been overpaid.

This is as well as being in receipt of £400,000 in penalties which were paid by carers to avoid facing prosecution.

So it comes as no surprise that Carers that considered appealing against overpayments are then threatened with even higher bills if they do so.

Not a surprise to anyone that’s had any dealings with the DWP

In over half the overpayment cases the failure of the DWP to act when warned by an HRMC system that these carers were over the earnings limit. Basically the DWP made the choice to ignore the warning and let the overpayments increase to enable them to benefit financially.

However promises made by the DWP to MPs to rectify this five years ago were as usual an empty promise. They failed to do nothing except continue to enable carers to become in debt and threatened with fines if they appeal their cases.

There’s no limit to the level of underhanded tactics and deceit that the DWP will lower themselves to whilst trying to benefit financially from the suffering of others.

Carers should be respected and instead of fining them they should be given larger payments for the hard work that they do and not be targeted by the DWP especially given the fact that they save the government thousands of pounds, possibly millions each year.

We need to support or advocate for carers’ rights and raise awareness of the need for this.

Shame on you DWP.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com