Housing benefit

lovetowinacar

Hi - my brother has yet again been kicked out by his wife (another boyfriend)

He is going to pay half the mortgage and just above the CSA guidelines (from their website) and this then doesn't leave him enough for even the smallest besit or lodgings.

Can he apply for housing benefits (his income is quite low anyway and even lower after paying child support and half the mortgage) to help with rent payments?

Can anyone advise what he can do other than end up on the streets? His total assets are a backpack with clothing, she has yet again claimed the right to everything else, the home the car etc etc.

They have 2 children and she insists they live with her although the older child would move in with my brother if allowed. He needs to get a place first to even be able to look at that in the future.

Finally she also works for 30 hours per week and earns slightly less than my brother.

Many thanks.

dmg24

He can apply for HB, but his other outgoings will not be taken into account. How much does he earn, and how much is his rent? Is he 25 or over?

lovetowinacar

dmg24 wrote: »

He can apply for HB, but his other outgoings will not be taken into account. How much does he earn, and how much is his rent? Is he 25 or over?

Hi he is over 25, he receives minimum wage for a 40 hour week, wife earns min wage for 30 hour week. The children are 14 and 10.

Their mortgage is with Barclays (the woolwich arm) and is for a balance of 98,500 ish which was taken out about 5/6 years ago, he says he is on base rate and since their income no longer covers the loan using the current income multipliers they cannot remortgage.

They have 2 endowment polices and one finishes in a few years and the other he believes about 9/10 years although not sure. She said she will pay for the monthly payment on these but then wants them signed over!

He really needs to sort himself and never ever go back again (IMHO)

dmg24

He should qualify for some Working Tax Credits. He should apply for HB, advising them that he has applied for WTC. He won't get all of his rent paid but may get some.

lovetowinacar

dmg24 wrote: »

He should qualify for some Working Tax Credits. He should apply for HB, advising them that he has applied for WTC. He won't get all of his rent paid but may get some.

Will he still get WTC if the children live with his wife? She now gets WTC and CTC, child benefit and Council Tax assistance and with his money she is now better off since his maintenance and payment to mortgage are disregarded. However I will tell him to apply for this in his own right then.

Many thanks.:):)

dmg24

Yes, he can claim it in his own right.

Indie_Kid

Because he's over 25 and works 30 hours, he doesn't need to have the children for WTC.

real1314

40 hrs at Min wage (£6 ish?) gives £240 a week.

On that wage, he'd be unlikely to get much HB, although it would depend on the level of rent he is eligible for. They can't take account of his payments to the ex, or the mortgage and would simply treat them as still his income.

HappyMJ

real1314 wrote: »

40 hrs at Min wage (£6 ish?) gives £240 a week.

On that wage, he'd be unlikely to get much HB, although it would depend on the level of rent he is eligible for. They can't take account of his payments to the ex, or the mortgage and would simply treat them as still his income.

That's £202.55 after tax and would require him to pay the first £78.97 of rent then LHA would pay the difference between that and the lower of the LHA rate or rent and would also entitle him to £6.50 per week of Working Tax Credits.

He'd be left with £133.08 after rent was paid as long as the rent is less than the LHA rate. He'd have to pay at least 20% of net income as child support of about £40 per week so would be left with £93.08 which he would need to pay council tax of around £15 per week leaving him with £78.08 per week which is £12.63 more than if he were not working. Great!!!