Receiving Rent From Parents on DLA

above_board

I own the house my parents live in. I would not dream of charging them rent but it was suggested to me that as my dad is registered blind and on Disability Living Allowance they may be entitled to help with their rent.

If this was the case I may be doing myself out of opportunity to receive some return on my investment.

Can anyone advise?

emmell

I don't know much about the laws on benefits but I have heard of 'contrived tenancy' and have seen it featured on a few tv programmes about defrauding the benefit system, so if I were you I'd check with the relevant office.
ML.

MrandMrsB

Mr B had a fight with a council about a similar matter, via work, and the council refused to pay housing benefit.

I enquired with our local council about what our position would be if we bought a flat specifically for our son. His circumstances are special in that he has a type of autism so needs to secure place to live long-term. I was told that they would consider paying the rent if we could prove that we were being deprived of income, i e, we could let the flat out to somebody else instead.

It might be different in your area.

Floyd65

The first thing that the Local Authority would do, would be to look if this was a commercial tenancy, if they have lived in your property for a number of years and you have never charged them rent, then you and your parents would be considered as 'taking advantage of the benefits system', to obtain money from the Government to which you were not entitled.

As you cannot show that your parents have a commercial tenancy , as you state you have never charged them rent, then there would be no entitlement to Housing Benefit, however they could still submit a claim for help towards their Council Tax as that is reliant on them occupying the property and not the nature of the 'tenancy'.

above_board

Thanks for the advice.

Much Appreciated

fellwalker09

My local authority have it written in the housing benefit guidance notes that it is not permissible to claim housing benefit in order to rent a home from a family member. I have already been down that road with a member of my own family -we looked into it -they receive housing benefit and rent privately -not from me I should add. So, if we attempted to do that, they would not get benefit, and if we did it and lied, then it would apparently be fraud.

poppysarah

You would have to be prepared to evict them if they didn't pay the rent.