An overpayment notice needs its own review. The fact that money was paid to a landlord does not by itself answer every question about recoverability, liability or the rent account.
Read the decision in full
- Identify the tenant, benefit period, amount, reason and person from whom recovery is proposed.
- Check the stated rights and dates for requesting reasons, review or appeal. A telephone enquiry may not preserve a formal deadline.
- Distinguish a recoverability decision from the council's choice of recovery method.
Reconcile the facts
- Match the demand to payments actually received and the periods they covered.
- Check move-out, rent changes and information previously supplied to the council. Retain proof of when changes were reported.
- Identify errors or missing evidence and explain them with a short chronology.
Protect the rent account
- If recovery is made from ongoing payments, identify whose payment is affected and apply the relevant rules correctly.
- Keep a disputed adjustment visible rather than silently rewriting earlier receipts.
- Update the account after the final decision and tell the affected tenant what changed and why.
Example: recovery is deducted from another payment
A fictional council recovers an old overpayment from a later landlord remittance covering another tenant. Check the specific recovery rules before charging that later tenant the deducted amount. The bank shortfall alone does not establish a new tenant debt.
What to do
- Read the decision and record the response or appeal deadline.
- Reconcile the claimed overpayment to receipts and occupancy dates.
- Obtain advice where recovery or allocation is disputed.
Evidence to keep
- Council decision, remittances, tenancy dates and notifications of changes.
- Reconciliation, appeal or review request and final outcome.
Sources and guidance
- Housing Benefit overpayments: recoveryDepartment for Work and Pensions · checked 20 October 2026
- Housing Benefit overpayments: appealsDepartment for Work and Pensions · checked 20 October 2026