Relocating & LHA (& my life story :P)

Jordan93

Hi there,
I'm in a rather awkward situation. I'm 17. I left home at the begining of this year and sofa surfed for a while before moving into a friends dads flat which he didn't live in. When his son came out of prison he wanted me out so I've been sofa surfing with relatives since april.
To cut a long story short my dad and his girlfriend and her two kids are moving to a smaller house, so I can't go and live back there. There's no room at my mums house, nor any realistic long term living arrangements with anyone here.

I'm wanting to transfer to Manchester to finish my A levels (This is fine with my current college and the Manchester college) and will have a little money to cover the first months rent. My plan is to work part time to support myself, providing it wont affect my income support, and I'm entitled to Housing benefit and was wondering, is it possible to claim without the landlord knowing? Not that I'm trying to be sneaky or anything its just I'm at a disadvantage because of my age and circumstances and unless I get a landlords pity (or a dss friendly landlord) its unlikely I'll secure somewhere. I don't want to stay in Hull any longer than I have to, sofa surfing isn't the most fun thing in the world. I've applied and am waiting to hear back from the Manchester council list, but aren't holding my breath.

Also, if a landlord asks for a bond, is there any way of getting help with this?

Thanks,
Jordan

[Deleted User]

Are there any hostels in Manchester? I lived in one for over a year when I left home. There are usually quite a few for the under 26's. I don't know how LHA works for a single person but it might be an option worth looking at. They aren't all dingy and horrible., quite a few are very nice. I would have thought there'd be something in Hull. Your local housing department should be able to give u a list of hostels, or use google.

dseventy

You will get a lot of answers to the "Should I tell the LL" question. Some way will say "keep schum, we did, they never found out" through to "I am a LL and I knew straight away".

The point is that yes you should tell them. Some buildings insurance policies are invalid if the tenant is on benefits, plus if the house is on a BTL mortgage, some of those mortgage terms prevent the letting to those on benefits.

I think they will know anyway given you are just 17.

Good luck.

D70

Prinzessilein

Unless you have exceptional circumstances, then your Housing Benefit rate will cover a room in a shared flat/house.

You seem to have been in contact with the college in Manchester (to see if they are prepared for you to transfer your studies) - try and contact them again and speak to someone in Student Welfare/Student Services. They may well have a list of accommodation suitable for A-Level students and landlords prepared to house them. They may be even have a list of students looking to house-share so you can move in together.

And I echo the advice about being honest with landlords. Some mortgage agreements preclude the landlord leasing to those on benefits.

Student services may also be able to help with things like a travel-card for the buses/trams in Manchester, and any college grants/bursaries/general help that you may be able to access.