Housing Benefit - Can we claim please ?

Kimitatsu

lil_lisa wrote: »

If my husband did that to me then it wouldn't be me feeling hurt. And the hurt he felt would probably ensure that he never had any more children... :eek:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl: I was being polite - he would be the same as yours!!

Oldernotwiser

blueotter wrote: »

I'm sorry to say that's the implication,now you can see why there are so many problems. Things like housing benefit are not income related to where people live.
If i lived in an area where the average rent was £500 per month for a 2 bedroomed property it would be decidely different from where i live now as the average is £1k a month instead.
We're actually penalised for where we're living and whilst i recognise that £1600 per month net income seems a lot ,it doesn't go very far round here.

But HB (actually LHA) IS related directly to where you live. Someone in Central London could claim £495 per week for a 2 bed house, someone in Liverpool could claim £109; how much more related could it be?

blueotter

That's not the point i'm making.
The fact here is that the cost of rent isn't related to the income of the person who is expected to provide the support.

I earn £1600 net per month but my rent is 1k if i lived in cumbria or wales or plenty of other places i could expect my rent to be half that amount,thereby there wouldn't be nearly as much pressure exerted on our living expenditure.
My partner isn't entitled to housing allowance because i earn £1600 per month and in the eyes of the welfare state the amount i spend on rent is irrelevant.
Not very fair is it.

Oldernotwiser

blueotter wrote: »

That's not the point i'm making.
The fact here is that the cost of rent isn't related to the income of the person who is expected to provide the support.

I earn £1600 net per month but my rent is 1k if i lived in cumbria or wales or plenty of other places i could expect my rent to be half that amount,thereby there wouldn't be nearly as much pressure exerted on our living expenditure.
My partner isn't entitled to housing allowance because i earn £1600 per month and in the eyes of the welfare state the amount i spend on rent is irrelevant.
Not very fair is it.

And you miss the point I'm making. LHA is based on both the individual income AND the amount of rent you're paying and many working people get help with their rent through this.If you lived in a low income area like Wales or Cumbria, I'm sure that your rent would be lower but then I very much doubt that you would be clearing £1,600 per month!

You earn a decent salary, enough to support a family on, I don't see what is unfair in expecting you to support the child you're responsible for bringing into this world and the woman who is equally responsible for this new life.

AnxiousMum

It floors me to see people wanting to claim everything under the sun when they have a child. If you cannot afford to have children, (or to sacrifice some of the extras so you CAN afford to have children) then don't have them! Simple! The State cannot afford to keep forking out for children whose parents see benefits as a lifestyle - which is in effect, what you are talking about when you say you will live apart.
If my partner suggested that to me........I couldn't help but think that I'd be thinking his lifestyle was more important than myself or the child.......and I'd let him have his lifestyle......without us.
Out of curiosity - has your girlfriend seen your posts??????

blueotter

I started a thread asking for advice ,I received the advice and then because I start questioning the equality and fairness of the welfare state I have people popping on the thread making veiled accusations that I don’t care about my partner or our child.

That’s not the case at all and for some people to suggest otherwise just shows a complete lack of understanding of the issue here but also a willingness to condemn without fully appreciating the facts involved.
Many thanks to those who helped point me in the right direction.

terryw

blueotter wrote: »

I started a thread asking for advice ,I received the advice and then because I start questioning the equality and fairness of the welfare state I have people popping on the thread making veiled accusations that I don’t care about my partner or our child.

That’s not the case at all and for some people to suggest otherwise just shows a complete lack of understanding of the issue here but also a willingness to condemn without fully appreciating the facts involved.
Many thanks to those who helped point me in the right direction.

I agree with you about the inequality and unfairness of the welfare state and I am pleased that you have received some help in trying to find out about any benefits to which you will be entitlled. Personally, I don't think that you don't care about your partner and child, but one of your earlier remarks "she may as well just say we aren't a "couple " hadn't she." may have been the reason that some posters perhaps perceived this.

bw

blueotter

Thank you,perhaps you're right and in retrospect i could have worded it better but the fact is plenty of people aren't aware of the inequality of the sytem me included,until they need it.

However my partner has now applied for social housing so hopefully that will be an answer to our predicament.

not_tonight_josephine_2

Why do you need a 2 bedroomed place when your friend moves out? A baby doesn't need a separate bedroom, it can stay in your room or the living room until your GF is able to return to work and you will presumably be able to afford a 2 bedroomed place again.

Although I don't agree with many aspects of the current benefit system, to some extent I think it's inevitable that you would be entitled to claim more money if you split up, as it costs a lot more to run 2 households than 1 so the amount of benefit has to reflect that.

Oldernotwiser

blueotter wrote: »

However my partner has now applied for social housing so hopefully that will be an answer to our predicament.

So that's you in your own lovely house and your partner and child in some grotty council flat - what a wonderful man you are!