Unemployed relative lodging. Are we entitled to anything?

Fire_Fox

badlydrunkboy wrote: »

That's obsurd. What if we drew up a proper tenancy agreement, or would that be more trouble than it's worth?

My girlfriend and I live pretty close to the limit of our means as it is and can't afford to support an extra body for a great deal of time. We'd have kids if we were in that position.

She is under 25 and in was paying almost £500 a month in rent + bills at her flat, in a pretty unsavoury area. We agreed that she could live at ours and pay about £200-250 a month all in and treat the house as her own.

Yeah, once she gets a job but that was because she was pretty much offered a job, whcih fell though when a partner of the company legged it with the business account money. At the moment she's getting pretty much no where. Each position she's applied for has hundreds of other applicants.

If i could afford it, i'd have live rent free for as long as she needed and give her spending money, food money, travel etc to boot, but that's not the case. I was only investigating whether myself and my girlfriend would be helped.

How much is the extra body actually costing you? :huh: I can eat healthily on £60 per month, if she has a 15 minute power shower each day that would cost less than a tenner. You are already paying for the TV license, broadband, council tax, water, lighting etc. tho I would agree if it would be appropriate for her to contribute.

Or you can work in reverse: she has £212 a month, needs a few quid here and there for a stamps and public transport to apply for jobs and get to interviews. Do not see why she can't give you £150 a month. Has she been added to the council tax bill and has she tried to apply for council tax benefit?

Advise your girlfriend's sister not only to apply for advertised jobs she should be sending out loads of CVs and covering letters on spec, that technique never fails to get me interviews for jobs that have not been advertised. That way you are only up against a few applicants - I had an interview only this morning from doing exactly that. :j

As your GF's sister is not working she can cook from scratch for the three of you each night which is cheaper than eating ready meals, she can use MySupermarket to find the cheapest grocery prices, the internet to find budget recipes, and even look into whether you can switch your utilities or insurances to find a cheaper supplier. Introduce her to the wonders of cashback sites, online surveys, price comparison sites, the MSE freebies and competition boards ... :money:

Honestly there are loads of things she could be doing to save or make money for the household which do not affect her benefit entitlement.

seven-day-weekend

badlydrunkboy wrote: »

Yeah, once she gets a job but that was because she was pretty much offered a job, whcih fell though when a partner of the company legged it with the business account money. At the moment she's getting pretty much no where. Each position she's applied for has hundreds of other applicants.

If i could afford it, i'd have live rent free for as long as she needed and give her spending money, food money, travel etc to boot, but that's not the case. I was only investigating whether myself and my girlfriend would be helped.

OK. So she won't be able to claim her rent to live with you. But giving her a room costs nothing and she could give you something towards food and bills out of her Jobseekers' Allowance, she would have to pay these things if she lived elsewhere.

I think JSA is about £55 a week, she could give you £30 and still have enough left over to look for a job and other odds and ends.

Lou76

badlydrunkboy wrote: »

Hi,

This is the first time i've posted on here so please go easy.

About 9 months ago, i bought my first house with my girlfriend and moved in in January. It's a 3 bedroom place, council tax band C and with my wage and my girlfriends (which are both pretty small, £36k combined) it seems we aren't entitled to any grants etc.

So you bought the house in June 2009 (9 months from this post in March 2010) and you, and your girlfriend moved in on January 2010?

It seems you aren't entitled to grants... what grants? Grants to do the place up to a liveable standard etc, or what else do you feel the need for a grant for?

Well, if that's the case, why should you? A couple, who have obviously got alternative accommodation for 7 months, whilst paying a mortgage on a house they don't live in, should never receive help to fund their own choices.


Recently though, her younger sister lost her job and couldn't afford to live in rented flat she was in in Southampton, so we offered her a room at ours. She is currently on job seekers allowance (about £53p/w i believe) and as such, cannot afford to pay us any rent. We were wondering if we would be entitled to anything because of this. My girlfriend had a quick look last night and it seemed that because she's a close family member, we aren't. Surely this can't be right? Her parents live in France so it's not really feasible for her to live with them and we're more than happy to have her but I would expect us to be given some help in such a situation.

Is there anything i'm missing?

Aye, the ability to see that people pay their own way, help doesn't always come from the taxpayers..

Many thanks in advance for any help anyone might be able to offer.

BDB

DX2 wrote: »

Why would you buy a three bed house?

Given his OP I'd say that's a fair question to ask.

becky004 wrote: »

Why would they not buy a 3 bed house? When we bought our first home it was 3 beds, 1 for the future child we planned and 1 for guests. What in the name of sanity does this have to do with his initial question????????

OP I was in a similar situation, my sister & her husband moved in with my husband and I after a very bad car car accident which left her needing 24 hour care, we were not and neither was she entitled to claim anything for living at our home as we were related. I think it would be different if you were not related to that person.

But he doesn't mention any hardship when buying the 3 bed house, if anything he wants grants, whilst he admits the house lay empty for months. Doesn't sound anything like the same situation to me.