Housing benefit going down, how will I manage?

peggy89_2

Hello everyone, I need some advice on housing benefit.

I am a 26 year old single male, I work part time as a delivery driver and am in reciept of housing benefit. I am currently looking for a full time job, but no luck yet.

I have a 7 yr old daughter who lives with her mum, and stays with me 2-3 nights a week, and half of the time during school holidays. I lived in a one bedroom flat until january, and my daughter slept on the floor in my bedroom. This became unpractical as she is getting older and likes her own privacy. I found a reasonably priced two bedroom flat and decided it would be much better for my daughter to have her own room. she is only getting older. When i turned 25, i was entitled to a higher rate on housing benefit, something like £109 a week, compared to about £65 a week before. so i knew that I could manage the rent on the 2 bed flat.

I recently had a letter to say that the rates are changing, and that only people over 35 are entiled to the higher rate. I would happily move to a smaller property, and i guess my daughter could sleep in the lounge. but really i dont think this is fair on her. im assuming that as i dont have full custody of her, that the council wont take this into consideration. if im successful in getting a full time job then i will be able to stay in my two bedroom property, which is what im clinging onto at the moment. but if i dont, i will only get £80 a month housing benefit as of april next yr. i struggle to make ends meet as it is. a one bedroom flat is only going to be about £100 less in rent a month, if that.

does anybody have any idea of my rights as a father? i know that her mum is entitled to a room for my daughter, so seeing as i have her quite alot, would i be? there is nothing on paper legally about when i see her, her mum and i arrange it between ourselves.

any advice appreciated!

Lady_gaga

Your not entitled to any extra with having your child a couple of days a week. Give her your room when she comes to stay and sleep on the sofa.

nannymiaow

No, you'll not be able to get the higher room rate even though you have your daughter to stay over. Have to say though, as a Mum I'd be pretty bloody annoyed that the father of my child was sleeping in a bed while my child kipped on the floor! If you don't get a job you'll have to move. To be honest, the one bed would have worked perfectly well - your daughter could have had the bedroom and you could have had a sofa bed in the lounge.

BigAunty

Your rights as a father when your daughter has a primary residence elsewhere have nothing to do with your LHA allowance, I'm afraid. You will not be granted a 2 bedroom rate for the circumstances that you've outlined.

A sofa bed, or roll out futon cushion, or campbed, etc, in the living room of a cheaper 1 bed property should do the trick.

You could look into whether there is any opportunity to apply for discretionary housing benefit, otherwise you simply have to change your circumstances to fit with the changes to your household income.

There is a LHA/HB calculator on this website that also details the impact of other changes to housing benefit/local housing allowance.

Mojisola

nannymiaow wrote: »

To be honest, the one bed would have worked perfectly well - your daughter could have had the bedroom and you could have had a sofa bed in the lounge.

peggy89 wrote: »

I have a 7 yr old daughter who lives with her mum, and stays with me 2-3 nights a week, and half of the time during school holidays.

It is very unfair. The resident parent gets access to benefits and help with rent for a separate bedroom for the child. The non-resident parent, who has the child for almost half the year, gets nothing.

wannabehermit

Why could your DD not have had the bedroom while you slept in the living room the nights she stayed? But if you're looking for a f/t job then it won't matter what HB rates are as you'll be earning more to top up the rent. If you're struggling to find a f/t job can you get another p/t job to work around your current one in the meantime?

peggy89_2

Thank you for your replys, that answers my question. i didnt make it very clear in my post, but my daughter had a small pull out bed in my previous property, she was not not "kipping on the floor". she was sleeping in a pull out bed on the floor which was very comfortable. slightly different i suppose. and of course i would let her have my bed, but i dont see why either of us should have to sleep on the sofa/floor. i couldnt sleep on my sofa anyway, im 6 ft 2 and its a 2 seater! lol! I can sleep on the floor no problem. point is, why should her mother be entitled to a bedroom for her, when i have her just as much. sometimes more during school holidays. farthers definitley need more rights.

sueturnersmith

Whilst I sympathise with the OP's plight, what you are really asking is for the government to support families who have split up twice - ie give both parents benefits to enable them to house and support the same child, which doesn't seem to be fair, IMO.

peggy89_2

Thank you mojisola. Even though I have my daughter half the time i still have to pay her mum child maintanence. when shes with me i pay for everything for her. her mum and i spend the same amount on her, infact i probabaly spend more, cus i have to buy all her clothes cus her mum put her n stuff too small if i dont. yet i still pay the woman maintenance. its all worth it though cus my daughter is my life thanks for replies, all i wanted to know was if i was in anyway entitled to a bedroom for her, and u have confirmed that im not. thank u.

kingfisherblue

You could keep clothes at your house for your daughter - ask her to get changed when she gets there, use the clothes that you have bought for her while she is staying, and send her home in the clothes that she arrived in.

Also, if your job is part time, could you get another part time job to top up your income?

peggy89_2

sueturnersmith.ur totally right, it wouldnt make sense. my childs mum left me for another man when she was 10 weeks old. she broke up the family but im the one who suffers financially, not her! NOT FAIR!. women can go round getting themselves pregnant, leave the father and reep all the benefits, while dads like me have to pay the mothers and get no help for our children.