Housing Benefit guide Discussion Area

Titch88

I'm also in a similar position RockGypsy. Me and my BF are currently thinking of moving in together and are both unemployed at the moment. I'm 22 and he's 29 and we are both currently jobseeking.

I'm also wondering whether we will be able to get housing benefit in order to pay rent if need be while we don't have an income, as it's hardly a desirable position to be in to not be able to pay to live while trying to get a job.

I just would need to know our options as it's a bit of a worry for the coming months. It's a bit of a catch-22 situation as we need to move into a new area in order to have better job prospects than where we are but can't really apply for jobs we live nowhere near when we wouldn't be able to afford to commute there everyday.

xploreit

Can anybody tell me why housing benefit is paid to the Tenant? I am a Landlord and housing benefit used to be paid direct. It is now paid to the Tenant who is responsible for paying it to the Landlord. I now have tenants with rent arrears because they have not used their housing benefit to pay their rent. I still have to pay the mortgage and insurance, and maintain the properties, without an income! Surely the benefit should be paid direct to the Landlord to avoid these situations. Does anybody have a similar experience? and any advice please.

angel2468

Hi there, do you know if the 9 months transitional period applies to all affected claimants or just those who meet a certain criteria,my stepdaugher has been claiming housing benefit since April 2010 and she is going to be affected quite badly so any extra breathing apce would be a bonus.

BigAunty

xploreit wrote: »

Can anybody tell me why housing benefit is paid to the Tenant? I am a Landlord and housing benefit used to be paid direct. It is now paid to the Tenant who is responsible for paying it to the Landlord. I now have tenants with rent arrears because they have not used their housing benefit to pay their rent. .

You are probably going to not find this funny, but the reason why payments were switched to the tenants in the move to LHA from HB is to empower them, make them take responsibility for their budget and improve their employability, increase choice of properties for them.

Summary here

http://www.housingot.co.uk/local-housing-allowance-lha-explained-for-property-investors-and-landlords-in-the-uk/

Funnily enough, this forum is full of posts along the lines of 'I'm on HB and can't find a landlord to accept me. Why am I discriminated against'.

You can contact the council and ask for payments to be switched to you. I think they pay the landlords direct once they're 8 weeks in arrears but do check this with them.

BigAunty

RockGypsy wrote: »

Just a quick question,does a single person get the same amount of housing benefit as a couple or do a couple get more? .

Assuming you are referring to LHA for a private rental, a couple without dependents or disabilities is entitled to the 1 bedroom rate. You can identify how much this is on the Direct Gov website.

LHA is linked to the number of bedrooms the household is eligible for. They can live in larger property if they wish but get only the sum for their entitlement so if they get a 2 bedroom rate but live in a 3 bedroom, that's up to them, they won't get any more money for this.

A single person under 25 (soon to be 35) is only entitled to the equivalent of a room in shared house. Those over that age threshold can get the 1 bedroom rate.

So as a couple you can get the 1 bedroom rate, but so can a single person if eligible age-wise and this can be the same sum. So you don't get 'extra' as such for being a couple, just that you get the 1 bedroom rate regardless of your age.

The Shelter website and Direct Gov website explains how LHA operates.

BigAunty

Titch88 wrote: »

I'm also in a similar position RockGypsy. Me and my BF are currently thinking of moving in together and are both unemployed at the moment. I'm 22 and he's 29 and we are both currently jobseeking.

I'm also wondering whether we will be able to get housing benefit in order to pay rent if need be while we don't have an income, as it's hardly a desirable position to be in to not be able to pay to live while trying to get a job.
.

Yes, you could get LHA as a couple on benefits. You can identify the maximum LHA payable for the area you are interested in on the Direct Gov website and how moving in together may affect your benefits by modelling this on the Turn2 us online benefit calculator.

It will be a rate equivalent to the bottom third cheapest rents in the local area. Generally, people on benefits can struggle with the cost of running a property, finding their limited income gets wiped out with energy, water bills and food, so it can be quite a subsistence existence. Download the MSE budget planner to get an idea of where your JSA will disappear.

Some councils operate deposit guarantee schemes to help those on low incomes and in housing need with the deposit. Other than that, you will need approximately two months worth of rent and deposit upfront, plus agency fees if you go through an estate agent.

Many landlords will not rent their properties to benefit claimants so it would be much easier for you to get a rental property when one or both of you gain employment.

Another way to do it, which I have done, is for the first person in the couple to get cheap lodgings in the new location once they've bagged a job, such as being a lodger, so they aren't locked into a long contract like with a formal flat share. And then set up a place together later. I moved from Scotland with a partner in two stages as each of us got a job, so we were originally in separate digs at separate times down south, then because we both were in employment in that new area, it was so much easier to find a suitable place together.

Many landlords who do rent their properties to LHA claimants will only do so if they can provide a guarantor, someone who will pay the rent if they default.

nellykim

Hi there people.. Could anyone help with this query please ?

Would a single person, living in a one bedroom privately rented flat, and on disability living allowance, who has lived there since 2000 , and who gets Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit have anything extra to pay when the changes come in please ?

BigAunty

nellykim wrote: »

Hi there people.. Could anyone help with this query please ?

Would a single person, living in a one bedroom privately rented flat, and on disability living allowance, who has lived there since 2000 , and who gets Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit have anything extra to pay when the changes come in please ?

MSE has set up a calculator for claimants to check how they would be affected by the cuts. I believe that those with disabilities who require an overnight carer to visit can qualify for a 2 bedroom property, a 2 bedroom LHA rate.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/housing-benefit

chosunfew

I am afraid if you forward this to a friend, they get a guide to insurance, better cut and paste the page address

helperinneed

does having a child trust fund which i control count towards my capital, anywhere i can get the information from

thanks for the reply