Housing Benefit - How long?

alisara

Hi all

I hope you can help again. I posted yesterday on the subject of living with my mother who is moving to another area, so in effect I need to find a home for myself and dd quick.

I have found somewhere suitable I have a deposit but not the first months rent. I work part time (although I temp and have done for many years never been unemployed) but found out that I am entitled to housing benefit. I did the calculations etc and the amount would cover a lot.

It may sound silly but as I have never applied for this before I do not have a clue.

Say if I go ahead and take the house can I give the landlord the deposit and give a date to move in and pay first months rent on the day of move in, is that possible or do they want it all at once?

Do you apply for housing benefit before or after you find a house?

How long does it take?

Sorry i have not got a clue.

alisara

Bumping - i am desperate!

clutton_2

housing benefit - now known as Local Housing Allowance - can take weeks and weeks to come through.. this is invariably because prospective tenants do not fill in the form properly and do not submit the required documentation

most private landlords will want to accept both the deposit, and rent, on the same day and have you move in straightaway - as empty property costs them money...

some councils offer a Bond scheme.. ask at your local council offices

you can only apply for LHA once you have found a house and got a signed tenancy agreement - and for that your landlord will want the first month's rent and a deposit

Morglin

alisara wrote: »

Hi all

I hope you can help again. I posted yesterday on the subject of living with my mother who is moving to another area, so in effect I need to find a home for myself and dd quick.

I have found somewhere suitable I have a deposit but not the first months rent. I work part time (although I temp and have done for many years never been unemployed) but found out that I am entitled to housing benefit. I did the calculations etc and the amount would cover a lot.

It may sound silly but as I have never applied for this before I do not have a clue.

Say if I go ahead and take the house can I give the landlord the deposit and give a date to move in and pay first months rent on the day of move in, is that possible or do they want it all at once?

Do you apply for housing benefit before or after you find a house?

How long does it take?

Sorry i have not got a clue.

Housing Benefit awards can be a nightmare (particularly if Liberata are involved in them which they are in many areas:mad:).

The best advice I can give is, as soon as you get the tenancy agreement, is to take that and all evidence of income/savings, from whatever source, down to the council benefit office, where they will photocopy them and retain the claim form. This also means there is no chance of the "we haven't recieved the forms" routine so beloved of these departments.

You will probably need to chase them up if it takes too long - their targets are usually a fortnight to process, assuming all forms are correct and complete, but this is a bit of a fantasy.

Many councils do various schemes where they deal with landlords, and guarantee the rent/benefits will all be paid - have you asked about this?

Landlords that let to those on LHA generally understand all the possible delays etc., anyway.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_income/DG_10018928

Lin