Housing benefit help desperate

blacknight1971

Hi,just be sacked from my job(currently appealing this),and my house is sold,and i was buying another house on my own as me and the wife are splitting up.So i take it i cant get a morgage now,so if i rent a propertie will the social pay my rent?My 2 children will be staying with me each week so i need a 2/3 bed house.Will they pay anything to help me or not?When the house is sold i will get about 10k.Please i need some advice.Thanks

blacknight1971

Any help PLEASE

Caz3121

Unless you are classed as the parent with care you would only qualify for help based on the 1 bedroom rate (this does not mean you cannot get a 2/3 bed and top up the difference ... or you may be lucky and find somewhere that falls in that band)
Also savings over £6k will reduce the amount of means tested benefits you can claim
have a look at www.entitledto.com
there is also https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx which will help you find the one bed LHA rate for your area.

GotToChange

Have you set the ball rolling for your claim for JSA? (There will be questions about why you left but you still need to set the wheels in motion from Ground Zero so to speak.....)

You also need to register with your local housing providers to look for a property as your choice will be limited in the private sector due to your unemployment status. If you apply for a Council house, the fact that you will have your daughters some of the time will possibly mean that you can apply for a house that has more than 1 bedroom.

It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation because your living situation is in limbo as normally your claim for JSA could also include an application for Housing and Council Tax benefit but it's not the case for you just yet.

If you have any kind of financial cushion, that will ofcourse make things a bit easier but for now, what I would say you should do is-

1) Make your claim for JSA
2) Register with your Council's Housing Dept to be eligible to apply for Council Houses
3) Same as above for Housing Associations
4) Have a squiz at the Shelter website for more info
5) Check with any private properties or letting agents what their policy is with regard to HB/LHA claimants - although this may be a very individual thing

Also, don't rule out a 1 bed. property, you can always sleep on the sofa when they come to stay........

Edited to add: The proceeds from a house sale shouldn't be counted as savings initially, they are allowed to be "ear-marked" for the purchase of a new home, although I think there is a time limit.

Macro_3

Your capital from the sale of your house can be disregarded for up to 26 weeks from the date you received it so long as you intend to use it to purchase another property, so it won't factor into your claim as yet.

I don't think you'll have much luck getting a 2/3 bed council house, to be honest - in my area there is a huge demand for properties of this type and the waiting list is long. You'd be best looking for private rentals and claimig LHA, but as you don't have care of the children you'd only get the 1-bedroom rate at most. You could top this up and get a 2-bed if you wish.

blacknight1971

Many thanks for the advice.The 2 children will be living with my ex,but i will be having to sleep each week.I havent claimed for anything yet.Was hoping to get another job asap,but looks unlikely that quick.How much do the council pay for if i get a private rented house?I would pay any difference to make it up,but i just want to find a rough price.Is is 465 or something like that.Thanks again

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

It depends where you live, have a look at the LHA website where you can put your postcode in for an accurate figure.

https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx

blacknight1971

Thanks all.Got some figures which give me an idea.:beer: