Housing Benefit

21yrold

Hi guys,

Im asking a question on behalf of my friend, he is out of a job at the moment and does receive Job seekers.

He lives with his girlfriend and his father: he pays his father £200 a month for there rent...his girlfriend covers the other bills etc.

He does have a contract with his dad as his dad rents out other rooms in the house.

can he apply for housing benefit as i understand it (never been on benefits myself) if he lived in a flat and lost his job etc he would receive some sort of help..as every penny he gets goes on his rent and he cant even afford food..his GF works so she pays everything else?

Just seems a bit unjust when you see all these reports in the papers etc..40k a year etc!!

He has applied but they say he cant receive it?

Thanks for your time.

Neil

Jowo_2

Those who live in the same property as their close relatives who is their landlord (i.e. as a lodger, sharing the same place) cannot claim housing benefit. His JSA and partner are supposed to cover his living expenses, not the state.

The housing benefit/Local Housing Allowance bill for the UK is currently approaching 21 billion pounds. It would bring the country to its financial knees if everyone receiving means tested benefits could receive LHA instead of their family or partner's supporting them, as is required now.

21yrold

Ok, He has not asked me to post, I was just wondering to be honest as it seems strange that IF he had gone and got a flat they would pay his rent?

But when you put it like that i guess it would add up

Thanks for your quick reply

Neil

karenx

If that was the case that he could apply for help with the rent dont you think every person who still lives with their parents could do it too?

21yrold

As i stated, i've worked since i was about 14 and never claimed nor looked into claiming any sort of benefit so i wouldnt know how it works.

They all still seem to afford TV's, Xbox's etc and my friend has not a penny thats all.

Jowo_2

Yes, it's true - if he did not share a property with a close relative, he would be eligible for LHA and the LHA direct and Entitled To (Turn to us) websites will help calculate his entitlements. He could even live in a self-contained property owned by a close relative who lives out and could be eligible for LHA in those circumstances, assuming it's not regarded as a 'contrived tenancy'.

The other common complaint is that under 25s who are single and not disabled are eligible only for LHA set at shared property rates, rather than self contained ones, meaning it's only usually sufficient to cover housing costs for a room in a shared house or bedsit rather than a 1 bedroom property.

Again, that's an arbitrary threshold but this age related rule, plus the ban on a lodger claiming housing benefit from a close relative, means that we only have an astronomic HB/LHA bill rather than a catastrophic one. Otherwise we would have millions of unemployed school leavers or graduates waltzing into 1 bed properties or parents billing the public purse for renting bedrooms to their own children the moment their child benefit and child tax credits stopped.

Caz3121

21yrold wrote: »

IF he had gone and got a flat they would pay his rent?

not if he was living with a working girlfriend who's income would be assessed for any benefits they may be applying for as they will be assessed as a couple

Oldernotwiser

Perhaps he could consider working longer hours if he only earns £200 per month?

Jowo_2

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Perhaps he could consider working longer hours if he only earns £200 per month?

He pays his father £200 pcm out of his JSA - the bulk of his JSA is given to the father for his keep.

Although, I don't know many parents who issue lodger agreements to their children even if they charge them keep!

21yrold

My Friend moved out when he was about 16 to live with his GF and her parents, his dad from then on had lodgers so when my friend moved back about 2yrs ago he was working and agreed it with his dad as he never wanted his dad to loose out etc, its just stayed like that ever since :-)

Jowo_2

Maybe he could negotiate a reduction or cancellation of his rent with his father or maybe his GF can step up and pay something towards the rent, not just bills, until he gets back on his feet?

Can the GF spare an extra £20 or £30 per week to support him by way of an extra contribution to their kitty? How much does she earn? Someone who works on the National Minimum Wage full time will net about £185 per week, three times the rate of JSA.