Housing Benefit Entitlement???

mamfa

Hi, I seriously need some advice and quickly.

My Grandmother is having to go into sheltered accomadation on medical grounds.

The weekly rent is £99.97 per week (this includes Water and Gas but excludes Council Tax and Electricity).
She recieves approximately £170 per week Pension Credits.
She has about £1000 in her bank account
She owns her own home outright and it is worth approx £130,000

Would she be able to recieve housing benefit until her house sells?

I have been trying to get through to Citizens Advice for 2 days solid with no luck and we really need an answer as she cannot live in her home at all and is currently staying with me sleeping in my daughters bedroom (my daughter is sleeping in my living room)....

fluffymovie

Hello there

It certainly sounds like she would be eligible for HB if her home is up for sale.

Even once it has sold, she may still be entitled depending on what type of Pension credit she is on.

The rent includes some services which would not be met by Hb so she would have to pay water and so on.

However, I would ask why she is living with you when she has a home? Has she been claiming Council tax benefit on her home as if she has, she would need to tell the council she isn't living there?

mamfa

My Grandmother is staying with me for the same reason she is having to move into sheltered accomidation she physically cannot cope with being in a 3 bedroomed house. The last 2 weeks she has become so ill that she was falling over a lot and was too scared to climb the stairs incase she fell. She was sleeping on her sofa, washing in her kitchen sink and using her late husbands commode:(. I had gone on holiday and her daughter (my aunt) was meant to go see her every day (we usually take it in turns) but when I got back, no-one had been for over a week. Her house is just over 30 miles from mine, I don't drive and have 3 young children so it is easier and safer for her to stay with me until she moves into sheltered accomidation.
She does not claim Council Tax benefit currently as she felt she could afford to pay it and did not want to take money that although she was entitled to she felt she didn't need!

pmlindyloo

Has your grandmother had an assessment to see what kind of housing she needs?

The reason I ask is that my mother thought she would be better off in sheltered housing but after finding out what kind of care they offered it was completely unsuitable.

My apologies if you have been through the procedures but you say that your grandmother was falling over a lot. This suggests to me that sheltered housing wouldn't be suitable.

Who has suggested sheltered accommodation?