Can I Get Housing Benefit?

Adams1

I was let go from my long term (6 month) temporary job 10 days ago, and the landlord came knocking when I missed yesterday's payment. I'm hunting for jobs atm and may have found a couple of substitutes but I'm waiting to here back. The rent is currently £65 a week. (single room.)

Can I apply for housing benefit for last weeks missed rent, and the weeks to follow? I don't want to let the landlord know I'm jobless because he frowns upon it and would do his best to get you out asap. (I heard him once saying it ruins the value of the property?!) He quadruple checked I wasn't getting housing benefit when I moved in.

I may have to sleep in my car, which I don't mind, but it does eventually start breaking your back. (tried it once for a month... unpleasant...)

925dancer

You can apply but they only backdate it to the date of your claim and you need to be able to prove income (for example, are you claiming JSA?).

So no, they won't cover last week as you haven't made a claim yet, do it now online if you can as I think there's also a "lie" period from the date of claim to when they start counting your claim.

Your landlord cannot just kick you out for missing a couple of weeks rent, see the Shelter website for advice about that.

allen35

925dancer wrote: »

You can apply but they only backdate it to the date of your claim and you need to be able to prove income (for example, are you claiming JSA?).

So no, they won't cover last week as you haven't made a claim yet, do it now online if you can as I think there's also a "lie" period from the date of claim to when they start counting your claim.

Your landlord cannot just kick you out for missing a couple of weeks rent, see the Shelter website for advice about that.

Backdating claims

123

Housing benefit cannot normally be paid for a period before the claimant makes a claim. However, a claimant may be able to get her/his housing benefit backdated. The claimant should state on her/his claim form that s/he wants her/his claim to be backdated. If s/he does not do this, s/he can subsequently ask for backdating. The rules about backdating depend on the claimant's and the claimant's partner's ages and which other benefits they are getting.

124

If a claimant is aged under the [URL="file:///C:/Program%20Files/AdviserNet%20CD/AdviserNet%20EW%20files/09041210_EWSNI_HOUSING_BENEFIT.HTM#what_is_state_pension_age"]state pension age for a woman of the claimant's age[/URL], or they get income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA) or income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), housing benefit can be backdated for a period of up to six months throughout which a claimant had continuous 'good cause' for not claiming. Her/his claim will be backdated to the latest of:-

• the first day from which s/he had continuous good cause for not claiming; or
• the day six months before the claim was made; or
• the day six months before the date when s/he asked for the claim to include a past period.

As you were lead to believe you were going straight into employment you didn't apply but would like to request discretion in the decision of backdating benefit.

You never know!!

Adams1

925dancer wrote: »

You can apply but they only backdate it to the date of your claim and you need to be able to prove income (for example, are you claiming JSA?).

So no, they won't cover last week as you haven't made a claim yet, do it now online if you can as I think there's also a "lie" period from the date of claim to when they start counting your claim.

Your landlord cannot just kick you out for missing a couple of weeks rent, see the Shelter website for advice about that.

Thanks for the reply. I know he can't kick me out for missed payments, but if I remember correctly, in the contract I signed with him, at any time before or whilst renting from the property, I can't be on any sort of benefits. (sorry, this was ages ago so I can't remember the exact words. I won't be asking him as he'll probably get suspicious.)

I'll apply online tomorrow, my only concern is, I'm not on any sort of benefit like JSA or I.S etc... Would this be a problem? This is why I initially asked.

Adams1

allen35 wrote: »

As you were lead to believe you were going straight into employment you didn't apply but would like to request discretion in the decision of backdating benefit.

You never know!!

I hope so! I'll be applying tommorow. I'll try to use this as a reason. Thanks!

allen35

Adams1 wrote: »

I hope so! I'll be applying tommorow. I'll try to use this as a reason. Thanks!

Adams, apply for JSA now in the short term, it sounds like you will be back in work soon, HB/LHA is now paid straight to the claimant so your landlord has no reason to know.

Visit directgov or phone 0800 055 66 88 and apply today.

kingfisherblue

The landlord might not want anyone claiming housing benefit because it could invalidate his insurance.

dseventy

I echo the last post.

Some insurance companies (buildings) insist that tenants are claiming from the state, also some BTL mortgages do not allow people on benefits to be tenants.

You really need to tell him, and probably look for somewhere else to live.

D70