Help with housing benefit

1235712

Comments

  • CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative
    CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative Posts: 117 Organisation Representative
    Hello StayPositive

    As the previous poster has suggested you can check benefit entitlement on the link provided. Your friend may be better off first contacting the local authority as is she threatened with homelessness and the council has a legal duty to provide help and support to any one threatened with homelessness.

    It is possible that they will have properties suitable for her to rent and they will also probably have schemes that can help people move into private rented accommodation.

    The rules on housing benefit are due to change next year so checking benefits now may not be too helpful. One of the main changes is that a single person like your friend will now only get housing benefit based on a one bed roomed property irrespective of the rent payable.

    The local housing office should be able to give your friend the most up to date information and should also be able to provide the relevant advice on the local housing rental market
    Official CAB Representative
    I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com as usual"
  • Quite a long question...

    I am currently recieving 1 bedroom shared accomodation rates but have just found out that my girlfriend (who does not live with me) is pregnant.

    We are hoping to move in together before the baby is born as where I live at the moment is not big enough, but as she is working, if we move in together, will I loose my housing benifit entitlement?

    At the point we would be wanting to move in together, she will be on Maternity pay from work (£135 per week) and I will probably still be unemployed.

    There does not seem to be options in the calculators for maternity pay. Should we just put £135 per week as the earnings? Or would we need to put her usual wages?

    Thank you.
  • This is written on behalf of this mother:

    I am not very sure of what I am entitled to, but I would like to find out. I am a single parent of three teenage children below ages 17 and we have an income of below £25,000, and I think it's below £22,000 or less. We get about £405 housing benefit paid per month to the housing association and the housing association is asking for about £40 more per month, give or take a few pounds. And I was wondering if we should be entitled by housing benefit to cover this extra increase? I cannot pay this myself as I am bombarded with bills and the costs of providing for my 3 children.
    What should I do? I checked the website and read somewhere that families with 4 bedrooms are entitled up to £400 per week? I am unemployed, cannot speak English (this is written on behalf of the mother) and am looking after my 3 children, one of which is disabled.
    The housing association is asking for about £10 extra on top of the housing benefit per week. I don't know what to do and I literally may not be able to afford it.
    Am I entitled to more housing benefit or are there other benefits that I can apply for to cover the cost? Also,the rent may increase on a yearly basis and I don't know if housing benefit will cover it or if I have to. I don't know what to do!
    We have 4 bedrooms, 1 large, 3 smaller. We moved here 8 months ago because our old propertly was uninhabitable.
    Please reply to this and help.
    Please reply to this as soon as you can.
  • CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative
    CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative Posts: 117 Organisation Representative
    HELPNEEDED wrote: »
    This is written on behalf of this mother:

    I am not very sure of what I am entitled to, but I would like to find out. I am a single parent of three teenage children below ages 17 and we have an income of below £25,000, and I think it's below £22,000 or less. We get about £405 housing benefit paid per month to the housing association and the housing association is asking for about £40 more per month, give or take a few pounds. And I was wondering if we should be entitled by housing benefit to cover this extra increase? I cannot pay this myself as I am bombarded with bills and the costs of providing for my 3 children.
    What should I do? I checked the website and read somewhere that families with 4 bedrooms are entitled up to £400 per week? I am unemployed, cannot speak English (this is written on behalf of the mother) and am looking after my 3 children, one of which is disabled.
    The housing association is asking for about £10 extra on top of the housing benefit per week. I don't know what to do and I literally may not be able to afford it.
    Am I entitled to more housing benefit or are there other benefits that I can apply for to cover the cost? Also,the rent may increase on a yearly basis and I don't know if housing benefit will cover it or if I have to. I don't know what to do!
    We have 4 bedrooms, 1 large, 3 smaller. We moved here 8 months ago because our old propertly was uninhabitable.
    Please reply to this and help.
    Please reply to this as soon as you can.

    It isn't possible to give you definitive answers to your questions without a good deal of more detailed information. However, here are some pointers:
    As well as Housing Benefit you can claim Council Tax Benefit which can reduce the amount of Council Tax you pay.
    You should also be eligible for Tax Credits. I assume that you are getting Child Benefit for your 3 children.
    You mention that 1 child is disabled - are you claiming Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for this child?
    Turning to the Housing Benefit -the rules have tightened and are due to tighten further in terms of the maximum in benefits that can be paid and the level of the Local Housing Allowance. If your Housing Association puts the rent up by more than the annual infaltion linked rises in benefits, then you may find the gap between the HB paid and your rent gets bigger. This would force you to either look for a cheaper property or maximise your income available to pay the rent.
    I would advise you to ensure that you are claiming and getting the Tax Credits and disability payments in this regard.
    You can get a more accurate indication of how much you may be entitled to by using the benefits calculator at http://www.turn2us.org.uk/
    You would also get more accurately attuned advice by visiting your local CAB office - you can find their address at http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/about_this_site/get_advice.htm

    If you have not claimed DLA and want to do so, then it is important to get expert advice and assistance - your local CAB can help you there.
    Official CAB Representative
    I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com as usual"
  • CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative
    CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative Posts: 117 Organisation Representative
    ZombieTrev wrote: »
    Quite a long question...


    Should we just put £135 per week as the earnings? Or would we need to put her usual wages?

    Tha calculator asks for employee earning.
    Employees' earnings include the following....
    statutory maternity pay and contractual maternity pay, statutory paternity pay (ordinary and additional) and contractual paternity pay, .......

    Hope this helps
    Official CAB Representative
    I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com as usual"
  • hello,

    im trying to figure it out for myself but finding it all rather confusing! My husband and i have 1 child, and are both in work. we receive working and child tax credits (around 90 and 310/month respectively). however, our private rent on 2 bed property is high, and the council tax astronomical. do we qualify for council tax or housing benefit? how much would it be and how do we go about applying for it. hope you can clarify this for me!

    cheers muchly!
  • CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative
    CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative Posts: 117 Organisation Representative
    mrspash wrote: »
    hello,

    im trying to figure it out for myself but finding it all rather confusing! My husband and i have 1 child, and are both in work. we receive working and child tax credits (around 90 and 310/month respectively). however, our private rent on 2 bed property is high, and the council tax astronomical. do we qualify for council tax or housing benefit? how much would it be and how do we go about applying for it. hope you can clarify this for me!

    cheers muchly!

    Dear mrspash,
    To answer your questions about if you qualify for benefits, you can go to the turn2us website http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx which also explains how to claims benfits that you are elibible for.
    Official CAB Representative
    I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com as usual"
  • I have been receiving HB (in England) since Aug 2011 following my separation from my (now ex-) husband. I am renting privately and the former marital home (where my ex is still living as he refused to move out so I moved out with our 2 kids) has been on the market since Dec 2011. My ex has been difficult about selling the house, reducing the price etc so I am now in the process of returning to court to force a price reduction to sell the house quicker.

    In the meantime, I have been told by council that my HB will stop in Dec as the marital home will have been on the market for a year, even though the delay is all down to my ex - I would accept a reasonable offer immediately but he is dragging his feet. I have no means of paying my rent at that point and am worried what will happen to us. I cannot move back into the matrimonial home for safety reasons and don't know what else to do...
    Any ideas/advice?
    Many thanks.
  • CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative
    CAB_Wyre_Forest_representative Posts: 117 Organisation Representative
    maia_hill wrote: »
    I have been receiving HB (in England) since Aug 2011 following my separation from my (now ex-) husband. I am renting privately and the former marital home (where my ex is still living as he refused to move out so I moved out with our 2 kids) has been on the market since Dec 2011. My ex has been difficult about selling the house, reducing the price etc so I am now in the process of returning to court to force a price reduction to sell the house quicker.

    In the meantime, I have been told by council that my HB will stop in Dec as the marital home will have been on the market for a year, even though the delay is all down to my ex - I would accept a reasonable offer immediately but he is dragging his feet. I have no means of paying my rent at that point and am worried what will happen to us. I cannot move back into the matrimonial home for safety reasons and don't know what else to do...
    Any ideas/advice?
    Many thanks.

    The council have probably given you a year to sell based on the possibility of violence or threats of violence. As this time is coming to the end, I suggest that you contact your local CAB for an appointment with an advisor (you can find details at www.citizensadvice.org.uk)
    Options may include negotiating with your LA, registering as homeless, seeking the help of Womens Aid and there may be others.
    Official CAB Representative
    I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com as usual"
  • Hello,

    I am renting a house privately, and have been for the last 6 months.

    my partner recently had to leave her work due to personal reasons, and obviously our income halfed.

    after checking housing benifit calculator it states that i can claim 38 pound a week.

    as i know nothing about the benifit system:

    who will it be payd to?
    could it effect my tennancy?
    and who would i need to inform if i claimed this allowance?

    Many thanks
    It is difficult to say what is impossible, as the dreams of yesterday are the hopes of today, and the reality of tomorrow!
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards