Can I get anything to help me?!

SnoopySus

Hello everyone

I am trying to start a business, self employed and making no where near enough to pay the rent yet. My civil partner owns a house that her mum lives in rent free as she has no money. My partner is full time employed but with her mortgage and our rent has no extra. We have nothing else. So far as I can see there is absolutely nothing we can do to obtain any state help. If I continue to not be able to find a full time or part time job (in order to try get the company started to make money eventually) - what am I supposed to do?



Thanks in case you know of something I am missing.

karenx

Well for a start you should be charging the mum rent. Then that will leave you's with some money. And if she can't pay it then ask her to leave and you can move there

skintandscared_2

What Karenx said! If the mum has no money she needs to look into benefits for herself, but you clearly can't afford to pay a mortgage AND rent! Either charge rent or live in the house yourselves.

stressedindebt

have you looked into working tax credit? on a low income you may be entitled but may depend on the house owned etc...

stephief

If you have a house that you dont live in, any equity in it will be classed as capital and chances are will count you out of any means tested help. There is no way HB will pay rent to someone who has a house they could technically live in like this. They would just expect you both to live there.

I agree with the others, while its upsetting the mum has no money to pay rent herself, you clearly cant afford to support her housing needs and need to prioritise your own. If she is money-less she can apply for hb herself in a rented house. I know its sounds heartless but you have to take care of yourselves in this sort of situation, and not be overly concerned with someone who would be entitled to financial support.

skintandscared_2

Is there equity in the property? That would be counted as part of your assets I believe, and counted as far as any income or means tested benefits are concerned. What rent would you achieve if you charged market rate?

karenx

Also think of it this way - why would the state give you benefits because you chose to pay for a hours for the mum to live in

BigAunty

Your main option is to evict your civil partner's mother or move in with her as it is your personal commitment to paying for two households that is causing the issue. Most benefits are paid because of low income, not high expenses. It's a budgeting issue, not a benefits issue per se. It's more a benefit issue for the mother who probably has an entitlement to housing benefit elsewhere but is perhaps quite comfy where she is...

Another option is to delay your self-employment until you both have more disposable income - one person paying for a mortgage and a rental property is always going to be a stretch unless they are wealthy.

Please outline why the mother has no money, if she is ill, disabled, aged or job seeking and whether she is receiving any benefits or employment income or whether your partner is also paying for all her bills? You can identify her benefit entitlements (and yours) on the Turn2us online benefit calculator.

Your partner's mother would be entitled to Local Housing Alowance (housing benefit for private tenants) if she has a low income and little capital (savings/investments). It is equivalent to a 1 bedroom property in the bottom third cheapest local market rents. You can identify this on the LHA direct or local council website. Does the mother have much in the way of capital?

She would have also been entitled to LHA in her daughter's property if it was a proper commercial arrangement at the outset but will now probably not now qualify for LHA in this property on the grounds that it will be seen as a 'contrived tenancy'. This is one set up to exploit the benefit system, and as there never was a liability for her to pay rent at the outset, an application for LHAnow is highly likely to be rejected if rent starts to be charged.

Therefore your best option is to evict her or move into the property yourself to slash living expenses. I'm sure few people expect to be gifted a lifelong tenancy at no cost to themselves and can understand why it is causing her daughter and partner massive financial stress.

It can be done in a kindly way by explaining how you can't make ends meet, outlining her LHA entitlements, perhaps helping her to view properties, perhaps lending/gifting her the first months rent and deposit (though some local councils do operate rent deposit guarantee schemes and there are loans available, too, for those on benefits). She can also apply for social housing with the local council and housing associations.

The Shelter website explains about how someone can apply as homeless to the local council if they've been served notice where they live (though she is unlikely to be considered a priority unless she is vulnerable in some way).

I agree with the previous posters - you are looking at this the wrong way. The state help is there for your partner's mother if she cares to take it. State support is not going to be readily available to a couple both working full time who own a property and have just overstretched themselves with an unaffordable personal commitment.