Housing Benefit

tightgit_2

My Sister has finally decided to leave her husband. She wants to move to another area to be near freinds and family with her two children. So that she can move quickly, as she wants to get her kids into the new school by September, she wants to rent somewhere until the house is sold.

What she wants to know is will she be entitled to housing benefit until the house is sold?
Also if she has money from the sale of the house she doesn't want to loose money renting as she will need all the money she can get ot buy a place to live.
Has anyone been in this position or have any advice ?
Thanks.

Morglin

Try this:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-120.cfm?r=gaw&WT.srch=1&frmAlias=/housingbenefit/

Lin

Eager_Elephant

Hi

I am unsure of the exact rules but basically the value of her former home can be disregarded for up to 26 weeks if you left because of divorce or estrangement.

So yes she will get HB/CTB but only up to the set rent that the Local Rent Officer has set.

Once the house is sold the money from the sale of the house can be disregarded providing you intend to purchase a property within 26 weeks.

If more than 26 weeks has passed and the house has still not been sold then there is another rule whereby if you are taking reasonable steps to sell the property then the value can be disregarded for a further 26 weeks or longer if it is reasonable. Proof of this would be a letter from estate agents to prove it is on the market.

So by reading this I see that she has quite a long time to make sure the property is sold and a further 6 months or longer to buy a new house.

HTH

EE

tightgit_2

Eager_Elephant wrote: »

Hi

I am unsure of the exact rules but basically the value of her former home can be disregarded for up to 26 weeks if you left because of divorce or estrangement.

So yes she will get HB/CTB but only up to the set rent that the Local Rent Officer has set.

Once the house is sold the money from the sale of the house can be disregarded providing you intend to purchase a property within 26 weeks.

If more than 26 weeks has passed and the house has still not been sold then there is another rule whereby if you are taking reasonable steps to sell the property then the value can be disregarded for a further 26 weeks or longer if it is reasonable. Proof of this would be a letter from estate agents to prove it is on the market.

So by reading this I see that she has quite a long time to make sure the property is sold and a further 6 months or longer to buy a new house.

HTH

EE

Thanks. I had heard something simalar but years ago and didn't know if it still applied.