Step 1 - what's your problem?
You need to be clear exactly what your problem is. Often it is crystal clear what the problem is, but sometimes you may have a number of different problems tied up together.
Where you have two or more connected problems, you need to deal with each one separately. If you don't, you're likely to come unstuck. Always try to keep each party up-to-date with what's happening with the other problem.
"I got a letter from my landlord saying I was going to be evicted. He said I hadn't paid my rent but I got Housing Benefit. When I phoned the council, I discovered my benefit had stopped. I started trying to sort my claim out but I didn't get anywhere fast - I was forever having to call back or get more evidence. Meanwhile, my landlord started court proceedings. It was really stressful, and it got to the stage where I couldn't bear to think about it.
But then I went to see an adviser, and she explained that I needed to deal with the eviction as a separate problem. She told me to explain to my landlord that I was still entitled to Housing Benefit and that they were sorting out my claim, and to ask him to stop court proceedings. In the end, I agreed to pay a little bit off the arrears every month until my benefit started again, and he agreed to stop the proceedings."
Linda, Hastings
