The following rules apply to housing benefit. For more on challenging decisions, see Chapter 55 .

Your local authority has a duty to send you a written notice about the decision it makes on your housing benefit claim. If you do not qualify, the notice will say why not. If the authority makes further decisions during the course of your award (eg about a change of circumstances or an overpayment), it must send you a written notice about each one. In each case, it will also explain your right to get more information and to appeal.

Written statement – If you want more information about how your entitlement (or lack of it) to housing benefit was worked out, write to the authority and ask for a written statement. You must do this within one month of being notified of the decision. The authority should reply in writing within 14 days, or as soon as possible after that.
HB Regs, reg 90 ; HB(SPC) Regs, reg 71

Exceptions – In certain circumstances, th