help housing benefit question

facingthefuture

hello, please can anyone tell me what to do?

situation is that mum and dad own the house i live in.
They have suffered serious financial set backs and need rent.(lost pension)

My husband and I are self employed and to be frank things have got very bad. We are now getting tax credits and are entitled to free prescriptions healthcare etc for low income.

We would be entitled to housing benefit.....could we pay the rent that mum and dad should be getting if they rented to someone else?

Otherwise to be fair we will have to move out and rent from someone else.

Dad has a "company" that is lying doing nothing...could we even pay rent to it and he would be declaring that income anyway.

We do not break the law...but if there is a way to get round the situation that is legal we would love to know it.

Thanks

dezzy31

Its well with in the Law for your parents to get the housing benefit for this property, aslong as they aren't living in the property it doesn't matter who else is. I know this from doing the exact same thing

Now you can help me

I notice you are self-employed, do you keep your hours and wage to a minimum to get HB and tax credits, Just I will be in this boat tomorrow and looking for advice on getting HB for self-employed??

FROSTYFRECKLE

I think you need to Google "Contrived Tenancy"

dmg24

Have you been paying rent up to now?

facingthefuture

Thanks for the responses...No but they really do need the money now.:o I will move out and let them get a paying tennent if there is no other option.

facingthefuture

dezzy, thanks for answering. We work whenever anything is available...one week it could be 50 hours another could be 38. It just depends, what has damaged us was costs....we were being crucified in expenses like rent/rates/utilities etc. We give everything to the accountant and he fills in the paperwork...I know another cost. I had to, I got to the stage where I was chucking up when doing the books.Anyway, he pointed out we were entitled to things which I didn't realise we were allowed so it's been well worth it.

I know citizens advice is good or indeed here...if you get someone that knows more than me! Sorry and good luck.

dmg24

If you would only be paying rent if it is paid by your LA that would be a very strong indicator of a contrived tenancy.

facingthefuture

what if we paid for a couple of months then applied for help? Frankly it will be tough but moving will be expensive and upsetting for everyone especially the kids.

dmg24

facingthefuture wrote: »

what if we paid for a couple of months then applied for help? Frankly it will be tough but moving will be expensive and upsetting for everyone especially the kids.

How long have you not paid for?

Would your parents evict you if you could not pay the rent?

facingthefuture

Hi there - over a year but their financial circumstances have changed as has ours - both have gone seriously downhill.

No they wouldn't evict us but then we would go if necessary so that they could get a rent. They do need it, I don't want to impoverish them.:o

Thing is I could certainly get hb elsewhere without a problem...just don't want to move.

I put an ad on gumtree for the house to rent it out today...will have to tell the kids...dreading it.

dmg24

facingthefuture wrote: »

Hi there - over a year but their financial circumstances have changed as has ours - both have gone seriously downhill.

No they wouldn't evict us but then we would go if necessary so that they could get a rent. They do need it, I don't want to impoverish them.:o

Thing is I could certainly get hb elsewhere without a problem...just don't want to move.

I put an ad on gumtree for the house to rent it out today...will have to tell the kids...dreading it.

That all points to a tenancy being set up in order to claim benefits.

I know it is frustrating that you can get it to pay another landlord, but the difference is that in that situation you would have an obligation to pay, whereas at the moment you do not.