Loan for months rent in advance

hermum

Hi, could anyone tell me please whether someone is likely to be able to get a DWP loan for a months rent in advance.
My brother's in a private let but needs to move, he's found another flat but will need to give a months notice to his current landlord.
We can get the deposit together but not the rent in advance & the new LL won't be able to hold the flat for him, by the time the new claim is made after he ends this tenancy it could be nearly 3 months.
My brother is currently appealing the ESA medical assessment, so is getting whatever the amount is while waiting for an appeal to be heard.
Thank you

andyandflo

hermum wrote: »

Hi, could anyone tell me please whether someone is likely to be able to get a DWP loan for a months rent in advance.
My brother's in a private let but needs to move, he's found another flat but will need to give a months rent to his current landlord.
We can get the deposit together but not the rent in advance & the new LL won't be able to hold the flat for him, by the time the new claim is made after he ends this tenancy it could be nearly 3 months.
My brother is currently appealing the ESA medical assessment, so is getting whatever the amount is while waiting for an appeal to be heard.
Thank you

Hi are you saying that he is paying for two flats? Why?
I would have thought that having got the deposit together, the deposit that the current landlord is holding should be sufficient for the upfront month's rent on the new property.

hermum

No & he didn't pay a deposit at the current flat, just a £250 "admin fee" Even if he had, he wouldn't get the deposit back obviously until after he had left the current property, so wouldn't help the situation.

Orville

hermum wrote: »

No & he didn't pay a deposit at the current flat, just a £250 "admin fee" Even if he had, he wouldn't get the deposit back obviously until after he had left the current property, so wouldn't help the situation.

There is a scheme the council does (or at least here on the Isle of Wight). Where they pay the deposit for you. I was made aware of this through the estate agents the advertised the property. I am sorry i can't remember what it is called but a quick call to your local housing benefit office should sort it

AsknAnswer2

If he has been getting the assessment rate of income related ESA for 26 weeks or more, he can claim a budgeting loan for rent in advance. For a single person, they would pay a maximum of £348, and deduct the loan repayments from his benefit.

hermum

Orville wrote: »

There is a scheme the council does (or at least here on the Isle of Wight). Where they pay the deposit for you. I was made aware of this through the estate agents the advertised the property. I am sorry i can't remember what it is called but a quick call to your local housing benefit office should sort it

Thank you, ours do a deposit bond but it's only to prevent homelessness. He needs to move as the LL doesn't do repairs, 2 months so far with no boiler (this time) & rain running down the walls. But he's not homeless, although if he actually reported the problems to the council he would probably be given notice but neither of us are up to the problems that would undoubtedly cause.

AsknAnswer2 wrote: »

If he has been getting the assessment rate of income related ESA for 26 weeks or more, he can claim a budgeting loan for rent in advance. For a single person, they would pay a maximum of £348, and deduct the loan repayments from his benefit.

Thank you, I can't remember when he first applied for ESA but it hasn't been 26 weeks, he was on JSA for a while before, I don't know if that counts or if it has to be ESA?

Hammyman

hermum wrote: »

Thank you, ours do a deposit bond but it's only to prevent homelessness. He needs to move as the LL doesn't do repairs, 2 months so far with no boiler (this time) & rain running down the walls.

Thats easily sorted. Send a letter stating that regulations require the landlord to provide the tenant with emergency heating if a heating appliance has been disconnected, i.e boiler, and that the rain running down the walls makes the rooms unusable and that as you have informed them of the repairs needed you will be withholding rent until they are completed.

hermum

Hammyman wrote: »

Thats easily sorted. Send a letter stating that regulations require the landlord to provide the tenant with emergency heating if a heating appliance has been disconnected, i.e boiler, and that the rain running down the walls makes the rooms unusable and that as you have informed them of the repairs needed you will be withholding rent until they are completed.

You're not allowed to withold rent, even if that was legal the rent's paid directly to the landlord anyway.
The heating is a pain but so far he's only needed it a couple of times & he bought an electric heater, but he can't afford to use that when it's really cold as the living room is huge but not having had hot water for 2 months is really not satisfactory in this day & age. He's been having to boil a kettle for hot water to wash with.
It's a shame because it could be a really nice flat but needs an awful lot doing to it, I think the LL takes people on benefits as they don't have a lot of choice & probably won't complain for fear of being given notice. That's why I'm hoping that somehow we can get the money together to move, as this ll will accept HB.

AsknAnswer2

If the JSA was income based and he transferred straight over to income related ESA they can use the linking rule, but the combination of both must be over 26 weeks without a break in claiming.

tcr_3

There's always the option of a Crisis Loan to cover rent in advance if he doesn't satisfy the 26 wk rule for a Social Fund Budgeting Loan.

clb776

If he gets housing benefit, he wont have to pay the last months rent (because it is paid in advance), so the day he moves out he would be able to use this 'rent' as the first months rent for the new flat, or is this how he will be getting the deposit?