Back with parents + child on weekends

rambo29

Since splitting up with my ex 4 month ago ive been living back with my parents and younger brother. Now that i have my daughter staying over on weekends theres just no room for us all (daughter only 1 but with lots of stuff, cot, toys, nappies etc.)

I have the box room of the house and with only a single bed and cot its a tight squeeze. I can't get a mortgage and renting is just abit to much.

What im wanting to know is can i claim any benefits of some sort or get a council house quicker with having a child staying with me every weekend.

Cheeky_Monkey

Is there any chance you could 'persuade' your younger brother to swap his (presumably) double bedroom with you?

pmlindyloo

rambo29 wrote: »

Since splitting up with my ex 4 month ago ive been living back with my parents and younger brother. Now that i have my daughter staying over on weekends theres just no room for us all (daughter only 1 but with lots of stuff, cot, toys, nappies etc.)

I have the box room of the house and with only a single bed and cot its a tight squeeze. I can't get a mortgage and renting is just abit to much.

What im wanting to know is can i claim any benefits of some sort or get a council house quicker with having a child staying with me every weekend.

Need a few more details before we can try and help you.

First of all benefits.

What is your age? Are you working? How many hours a week? What is your salary? Are you paying child support?

Sorry, but without this information we cannot try and help with benefits.

As regards council housing - having a child staying with you at the weekends does not put you in priority need.

Answer the above questions please and we can try and help with both benefits and housing.

19lottie82

rambo29 wrote: »

What im wanting to know is can i claim any benefits of some sort or get a council house quicker with having a child staying with me every weekend.

If you work f/t then no, you won't be entitled to any benefits (apart from maybe a very small amount of working tax credits if you are on NMW) and in terms of your daughter staying with you oneor two nights a week, this won't entitle you to anything. Benefits will only go to the childs resident parent (ie your ex). If you have her one night a week then that will reduce your stat CSA payments by 1/7 (2 nights = 2/7), but that about it.

You could get your parents to write a letter informing the council that they are chucking you out, but that could result in you having to stay in homeless accomodation for an undefined period of time before you finally get your own place.

Can you not rent a room somewhere that will allow you to have your daughter to stay one night a week?

BitterAndTwisted

Who gets the child-benefit?

pmlindyloo

19lottie82 wrote: »

If you work f/t then no, you won't be entitled to any benefits (apart from maybe a very small amount of working tax credits if you are on NMW) and in terms of your daughter staying with you oneor two nights a week, this won't entitle you to anything. Benefits will only go to the childs resident parent (ie your ex). If you have her one night a week then that will reduce your stat CSA payments by 1/7 (2 nights = 2/7), but that about it.

You could get your parents to write a letter informing the council that they are chucking you out, but that could result in you having to stay in homeless accomodation for an undefined period of time before you finally get your own place.

Can you not rent a room somewhere that will allow you to have your daughter to stay one night a week?

Most councils adopt a procedure as regards homelessness. This is Ashford's:

http://www.ashford.gov.uk/community_and_living/housing/housing_plus/homelessness/homelessness_criteria.aspx?theme=print

They do not have a duty to offer temporary accommodation unless the person is in priority need.

Given the information we have then the OP is not in priority need.

Perhaps the OP will be lucky and his authority has lots of council houses waiting to be snapped up

It may be worth visiting the local housing authority as they should give advice re finding somewhere to live. Also there are various support groups, charities who sometimes have available accommodation. Unfortunately these often wouldn't be suitable to someone with a young child staying at the weekend.

I agree that trying to find a solution yourself is the best way forward - perhaps a shared house (if the others are amenable) /studio flat? Little ones do need a lot of stuff but you may have to 'go with the flow' for the short term.

What are the circumstances re your last accommodation with the baby's mother?

StuC75

Can you not swap for a bigger bedroom? If your in the box room, and say your younger brother has a bigger room can you swap around for the weekends?

Unfortunately you wouldnt be a priority case, so its more a case of making the best of a bad situation..

rambo29

Im 30, working full time on £22,000pa paying £200 child maintenance. Tried asking to swap around but he wont budge because of the amount of stuff he has. I did suggest us sharing rented accomodation in a 3 bedroom house but still he says no.

BitterAndTwisted

You are gong to have to make your own arrangements. You are not a priority where local authority housing is concerned as you don't have custody. And for the same reason you are unlikely to get much in the way of LHA but that is dependent on what the local rates are for renting.

pmlindyloo

rambo29 wrote: »

Im 30, working full time on £22,000pa paying £200 child maintenance. Tried asking to swap around but he wont budge because of the amount of stuff he has. I did suggest us sharing rented accomodation in a 3 bedroom house but still he says no.

Even factoring in your child maintenance I would have thought it was very doable to rent a 2 bed place in your area.

Why do you think this isn't a possibility?

19lottie82

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

You are gong to have to make your own arrangements. You are not a priority where local authority housing is concerned as you don't have custody. And for the same reason you are unlikely to get much in the way of LHA but that is dependent on what the local rates are for renting.

I can't see the OP getting ANY housing benefit if he earns £22k a year.

OP is a 1 bed flat really out of reach financially? After your child support, you should have about £1250 left a month? A quick search on righmove shows you can get a 1 bed place from 3350 pcm and a 2 bed from £400