Claiming benefits and Armed Forces

CIS

[
Re the CILOCT and council tax i'm confused. Surely if you own your own property you wouldn't be living in SLA or MQ and thus wouldn't be paying CILOCT and would be paying council tax? If you let the property the tennant is responsible for the council tax.

A person can be liable for council tax on more than one property at the same time.

EmmEve

Right, so if you did MU, were in SLA and your partner lived in a property you owned you would get a reduction on your council tax? Just to set my mind straight!

Bluetube

Thanks for replies

We do live in MQ's - D1 grade, the rent for which is considerably higher than £120 (BLT). Our entitlement for housing benefit/council tax discount was pointed out to us at the CAB.

Not to go into too much personal detail but OH is a junior rank and we have 4 children which pushes us into the low income bracket (for now at least).

I would recommend that anyone (especially late joiners or juniors with a family) check out what benefits they might be entitled to.:)

CIS

Right, so if you did MU, were in SLA and your partner lived in a property you owned you would get a reduction on your council tax? Just to set my mind straight!

If i read you right - you mean what happens if your partner remains in the home you own and you live in barracks whist they remain in the family home ?

If so then the discount does not apply as your main residence remains in the home you own (Stark & Stark V Doncaster)

DONCASTER BOROUGH COUNCIL v STARK (1997)

It was held that where a member of the Armed Forces was obliged to live in service accommodation elsewhere, his/her main place of residence remained their family home. The decision was based on Corporal Stark's security of tenure, the time spent there when not on duty, and the fact that he would return there should he no longer be required by the Forces.
This was despite the payment of Ministry of Defence deductions for Council Tax in respect of forces' accommodat

barbie22193

peteuk wrote: »

BLT - this is the second thread were youve quoted £120 a month for a quater, if only that were true...

we are in a 3bed at scampton with garage and we pay £120, we have never paid over that but dh is a sac so that may be why we never get beautiful homes

peteuk

barbie22193 wrote: »

we are in a 3bed at scampton with garage and we pay £120, we have never paid over that but dh is a sac so that may be why we never get beautiful homes

Sadly the grading of houses varies from camp to camp, we had a great house and garage, 3 bedrooms and were paying about that amount per month. All 3 beds had enough space for double beds and we had a large back garden....

We have now been placed in a small 3 bedroomed end terrace, its ok 2 rooms would take a double bed the third just about fits a childs bed. No garge....

The joke is the floor space has halved and the rent has doubled. It is just one of those things really.

Equally there should no longer be such a thing as a "seniors" or officers patch (offically) although we all know it goes on. Your entitlement should be driven by your family size.

ANYWAY - back to the OT - I have looked hard but there is no hard and fast rule to at what level of low income, a low income becomes low enough to claim Housing Beneift...however I would say that it is not housing benefit you would claim but Local Housing Allowance (LHA) as you are renting a private house.

Again there is no published threshold for LHA.

Rent (per year) type D Grade 1 4,128 (£344 per month)

Starting pay for a private £17,015

No to get to personel but if your OH has recently joined where were you living prior to him joining. Equally if you own that property and have sold it and have savings of £16k plus (which is possible if you brought cheap and sold for profit) then you are not entitled to housing benefit/LHA.

It is very interesting to see this thread (for me anyway) as the forces pay is ment to be a good level of pay. Please keep us informed of how it is going....

However I would say that only one of you can apply for HB/LHA so therefore if your on income support ect ect then that is a different matter. Obviously OH wage will be taken into concideration.

I must add you have a great quater if it is grade 1.

EmmEve

LHA depends on which area you live in:

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

Officially the higher ranks (officers) are still entitled to their housing according to rank rather than family size.

Benefits_Bod

LHA is in fact Housing Benefit. LHA is simply the latest mechanism through which the government chooses to set a maximum level of rent that can be used in the assessment of HB.

One other point... Is the original poster a Crown Tenant? If so, payments by such a tenant are not eligible for HB - irrespective of other circumstances. In such circumstances, a claimant should approach the DWP and make enquiries about assistance with "housing costs".

strong96

about loa in germany changing, this is part of the email sent to me from my dad:

in the summer, the comaprative "shopping basket" for LOA was formally reviewed and in most of the 29 categories, prices in Germany are assessed as being much closer to UK than they were before and so LOA is being reduced. This has been officially announced in a letter released by UKSC. The reductions are 20-31% for all accompanied and 13-35% for single/unaccompanied . the reduction comes into effect from 01 Dec 10

regarding CILOCT, if living in a MQ and are married and family only discount feasable is the 25% disability spouse discount.
we got this no problem but when we were posted SFA !!!! ups we are still waiting for all of last years reduction back. unfortunately we have the most incompetant clerks in army history where we are.