Need advice on Renting and Possible Help to Rent (Housing Benefit?)

PianoManUK

Hi Everybody

i apologise in advance, i am new to the property market
i am aged 31 and desperately need to move out of my parents house
(yes, sad i know)
my mother and sister are alcoholics and abusive and its making me ill and affecting my health
i have never done anything like this before and don't know where to start, i am registered with HMRC as a self employed Musician, i play 2 gigs most weekend and work part time in the week, i claim working tax credits

i wondered if i can get help financially towards renting a place
i am not and never have been a scrounger but i need to do this
looking at places for £550 a month

who do i talk to about this?

i just cant take anymore of this situation

19lottie82

Because you are under 35 you will only be entitled to the housing benefit rate for a room in a shared house in your area. Check online for what this is, but I doubt it will be £550 a month. That's not to say you can't rent somewhere at that price a month, you will just need to top up any housing benefit with your own £££.

Google "turn to us benefits calculator" to work out what, if any benefits you will be entitled to.

You'll also need a deposit and first months rent up front as you can't make a claim until you reside in the property in question. Do you have any savings?

Can you not look for full time work? It might make affording your own place more realistic.

PianoManUK

how about if your over 35? i`m actually 39, was just too embarrased to say on here!

gazter

PianoManUK wrote: »

Hi Everybody

i apologise in advance, i am new to the property market
i am aged 31 and desperately need to move out of my parents house
(yes, sad i know)
my mother and sister are alcoholics and abusive and its making me ill and affecting my health
i have never done anything like this before and don't know where to start, i am registered with HMRC as a self employed Musician, i play 2 gigs most weekend and work part time in the week, i claim working tax credits

i wondered if i can get help financially towards renting a place
i am not and never have been a scrounger but i need to do this
looking at places for £550 a month

who do i talk to about this?

i just cant take anymore of this situation

Being under 35, you are only allowed an amount of housing benefit to cover renting a single room in shared accommodation.

If you are able to get social housing, ie council house or housing association house you wont be penalised in the same way, but your benefit entitlement will be reduced for any empty bedrooms you take on.

The amount you are entitled in private renting to help towards your rent is obviously dependent on your income, and that would be assessed by your local council, but it is also dependent on a calculation used to determine what the market rent is in your town.

Again, you can check on your local council website. You are looking for 'local housing allowance'.

19lottie82

PianoManUK wrote: »

how about if your over 35? i`m actually 39, was just too embarrased to say on here!

Lying on a forum about your age? Strange.

Anyway. If you are over 35 you may be eligible for council deemed cost of a one bed property which is slightly more.

Again it varies region to region so check online to see what the going rate is. Same idea about topping up the rent for more expensive properties applies.

gazter

PianoManUK wrote: »

how about if your over 35? i`m actually 39, was just too embarrased to say on here!

LOL, there's no shame.

Different (more generous) rules exist for over 35s. The amount of housing benefit (local housing allowance) will be sufficient to cover an entire one bedroom property to yourself rate as determined in your local area, rather than a shared room in a property. This amount though will be means tested against your income.

PianoManUK

thanks very much for you help

i feel there is a light at the end of the tunnel now

who do i go and see for a chat about all this and my entitlements?

PianoManUK

and its not strange i lied on a forum, its just embarrassing being 39 and living at home still!
i have a partner but were not planning on living together just right now and i feel i just want my own place before i hit 40 in November

i just wanted some help towards the rent if i can pay towards it

19lottie82

Again, you will only be entitled to help with rent once you have begun a tenancy on a property so you will need to find the first rent payment and deposit yourself, if you are renting privately. It would also be wise to have an extra months rent as applications can sometimes take over a month to be processed.

Once you are in the property in question contact your local housing office who will tell you how you can apply for housing benefit.

Also bear in mind that a lot of private landlords will require a guarantor if you are on benefits, or six months rent in advance.

If the above are not an option for you, get yourself on the waiting list for social housing but how long you will have to wait will depend on how high demand is in your area. It could take years. At the moment you will be low priority as you are not homeless and have no dependents. Consider less desirable areas for a shorter wait time.

PianoManUK

looks like i will be at home until i am 50 then

i cant afford all of the above, let alone 6 months in advance
i have no guarantor

19lottie82

As suggested can you not look for FT work to move things along at a faster pace?

Possibly consider a room in a shared house as a stepping stone to your own flat? These tend to be less strict in terns of guarantors and rent in advance. They are also cheaper. I appreciate its maybe not ideal but possibly more realistic, finance wise?