close relative?

bigjl

Seems a strange question to ask.

I would also not charge family.

You are not losing anything as you have an empty room.

I seem to remember something about spare bedrooms in social or council housing recently being in the headlines nationally.

Perhaps somebody else has seen it as I can't remember the specifics of it.

Perhaps they could post that info up if it helps the OP.

paulineb_2

This is what I found from an internet search


I live in a property owned by a family member - can I claim housing benefit?

If you live in a property owned by a family member and pay them rent, you may be entitled to housing benefit. However, this will not be the case if you (or your partner) are responsible for a child and are renting from the other parent of that child.
The council will also want to check:

• that you're paying rent on a commercial basis. In other words, that it's a proper tenancy, not just an informal arrangement between family.
• that the arrangement has not been set up in order to take advantage of the housing benefit system - this is called a 'contrived tenancy'. For example, if your landlord only asks you to pay rent when you are not working (and so are eligible for housing benefit), but not when you are working (and earning too much to claim housing benefit), this would be a contrived tenancy.

paulineb_2

Bedroom tax issue wont apply as the OP isnt on benefits.

If he gets housing benefit you will get that to cover the cost of his rent or part of his rent and I assume therefore you could charge him less rent than the 50 pounds originally quoted?

Caz3121

angiel72 wrote: »

errr a roof over his head, use of kitchen, lounge, bathroom, garden... and a contribution towards the £850 a month i pay to live here.

do you normally have a lodger?

I agree that you should not necessarily end up worse off than you are now if you cannot afford it and your grandson should pay digs to cover
increased electric
increased gas
increased council tax

JSA is given to pay bills

As far as rent goes, this will not change by him moving in
Would you plan on charging him the same rent when he is working?
Will you evict him if he does not pay?

Maybe you would be better getting a "normal" lodger for £85 and let your grandson live elsewhere

angiel72

if it was short term then i would not ask him for a bean. but we are talking about an arrangement that could last for a good couple of years... it was his idea for me not to provide his meals and his suggestion that he contributes what he can to the household bills, as this is how he would have to live if he went privately. i resent the implication that i am mercenarily trying to extort money from my grandchild. he has looked into renting a room through a private landlord, but cannot find one as he has no previous tenancy for a reference, he has no income apart from job seekers and the cheapest room he could get was living in a shared house with alcoholics and junkies at £70 a week, with an electricity meter in the room, no lounge area and no food included... so how exactly does me asking a reasonable rent at a reduced rate make me a bad person? as i pointed out in my OP i am trying to find out if he would be entitled to any benefit. if not then obviously we will have to come to a different agreement or should i let him find a nice, comfy cardboard box and chuck him 20p as i pass him in the street?

and yes, he will still get charged rent at the same rate when he is working. my grandson has been staying with me (RENT FREE) since the beginning of Feb, and has taken to going out early morning and coming back late at night because he is embarrassed that he contributes nothing. the terms i stated were what HE thought was a fair agreement, based on local rents etc. i have taken real umbrage at some of the posters on here, climbing up onto their high moral horses when a) i am asking for advice and b) none of you are in full possession of all of the facts in this matter.

Georgiegirl256

Why not just let him contribute towards food and fuel costs?

princessdon

I wouldn't let them get complacent. I took in my niece I hadn't even met (costing £200 a month in childcare) let alone living expenses, I also have custody of her now 20 year old brother (at uni) and have supported him since he was 9 years old, my parents and sister have other siblings. Not once have we ever expected a penny.

He probably feels very abandoned as his parents didnt keep a room for return, so personally is throw life lesson at him, £56 a week JSA with £36 to you to include bills and food, £20 spends for him, that way he will look long and hard at either studying again (even if via Ou) and or employment.

itch_for_a_glitch

angiel72 wrote: »

Hi, my grandson is 19 years old, i do not claim any benefits and as i have a spare bedroom i have told him he can move in with me as a lodger... he will pay £50 a week, buy his own food and contribute to the household bills. will he be able to claim housing benefit if he gets job seekers? or am i too close a relative for him to be able to claim housing benefit? i would love to let him live here for free but i just cant afford it. any advice would be great.

angiel72 wrote: »

the £50 is for renting the room and the use of the bathroom, kitchen, lounge etc .. which i could rent out to a "normal" lodger for around £85.

What does his " use of the room and the use of the bathroom, kitchen, lounge" cost you, that you say you cannot afford ?

Quite how he will pay £50 AND chip in for bills AND buy his own food is beyond me, but that isnt the issue at all is it ?

benefitbaby

The difficulty the OP may have is that the grandson is already living there rent free and so to start charging a rent now may be seen by a HB decision maker as contrived to take advantage of the HB scheme.

As the rent charged will not go towards any costs incurred by the OP (because grandson will be contributing to bills/food etc from JSA) then it is profit. I think this is why the concept is generating a personal or moral response from people.

itch_for_a_glitch

angiel72 wrote: »

if it was short term then i would not ask him for a bean. but we are talking about an arrangement that could last for a good couple of years... it was his idea for me not to provide his meals and his suggestion that he contributes what he can to the household bills, as this is how he would have to live if he went privately. i resent the implication that i am mercenarily trying to extort money from my grandchild. he has looked into renting a room through a private landlord, but cannot find one as he has no previous tenancy for a reference, he has no income apart from job seekers and the cheapest room he could get was living in a shared house with alcoholics and junkies at £70 a week, with an electricity meter in the room, no lounge area and no food included... so how exactly does me asking a reasonable rent at a reduced rate make me a bad person? as i pointed out in my OP i am trying to find out if he would be entitled to any benefit. if not then obviously we will have to come to a different agreement or should i let him find a nice, comfy cardboard box and chuck him 20p as i pass him in the street?

and yes, he will still get charged rent at the same rate when he is working. my grandson has been staying with me (RENT FREE) since the beginning of Feb, and has taken to going out early morning and coming back late at night because he is embarrassed that he contributes nothing. the terms i stated were what HE thought was a fair agreement, based on local rents etc. i have taken real umbrage at some of the posters on here, climbing up onto their high moral horses when a) i am asking for advice and b) none of you are in full possession of all of the facts in this matter.

There we have it then, if he can claim from the state you will charge him(the tax payer in effect) £50 rent, if he cant claim it from the state then you will "come to a different agreement", bless you in your endeavours.