Can I rent a room if on JSA?

lowriful

My partner has been getting JSA for 10 weeks since graduating. He has been applying for loads of jobs but nothing yet. We have two young children.

I am an intermitting student with a young baby, I get CTC and Child Benefit but am not entitled to anything else as far as I know. We have credit card debts.

Money is tight. If he doesn't get a job soon we will need to think about other ways to make ends meet.

We have a small room we could rent out potentially. But I suspect any income will be taken off my partner's JSA is that right?

Thanks for any advice

Housing_Benefit_Officer

First £20 of any rental income is disregarded.

Include a meal and a further 50% is disregarded.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dmgch28.pdf

Income from subletting
28190 Where a claimant sublets part of the home to another person the DM should
1. add together all payments made for the week by that subtenant and/or a
member of the subtenant’s family and
2. disregard1
2.1 £20 or
2.2 the whole of the amount paid where the total is less than £20.
Note: In this guidance “home” means the dwelling occupied as the home.
1 JSA Regs, Sch 7, para 20; IS (Gen) Regs, Sch 9, para 19
Vol 5 Amendment 24 February 2008 Example 1
Sally has a subtenant in her home who is liable under a contract to pay her rent.
The weekly rent is £50. The subtenant pays £30 on Tuesday and £20 on Saturday.
The DM
1. adds together the payments in the week £30 + £20 = £50
2. and deducts £20.

The DM takes £30 a week into account.

Example 2
Robin has two subtenants in his home. Both subtenants pay £65 a week.
The DM
1. adds together the payments in the week £65 + £65 = £130
2. and deducts £40 (£20 for each subtenant).
The DM takes £90 a week into account.

But check first with the DWP.

Include a breakfast and a further 50% is disregarded:-

Income from people living in the claimant’s
home
28181 The following paragraphs give guidance on the treatment of income from people
living in the claimant's home. DMs should not apply the disregard for payments from
people who normally live with the claimant to
1. payments for board and lodging or
2. payments made by a subtenant under a contract.

Income from boarders

28182 Where claimants provide BL accommodation within their home the DM should
1. add together all the payments made for BL for the week
2. calculate how much BL income belongs to the claimant (i.e. if the claimant is
in partnership only a share of the total payments will be the claimant’s
income)
3. deduct £20 and
4. deduct 50% of any excess over £20

for each person for whom BL is provided1
.

Note: In this paragraph “home” means the dwelling occupied as the home.

1 JSA Regs, Sch 7, para 21; IS (Gen) Regs, Sch 9, para 20
Example
Anita, who claims IS, had two boarders during the week.
1. Boarder 1 paid £55 for a 4 night stay.
2. Boarder 2 paid £12 a night for a five night stay.
The DM calculated the income to be taken into account as follows
Boarder 1
Payments for the week £55

Deduct £20 £20

£35
Deduct 50% of remainder £17.50
Income from boarder 1 £17.50
Vol 5 Amendment 15 February 2005

pmlindyloo

Since you are an intermitting student then you are still registered and classed as a student.

Therefore, you should be entitled to Council Tax Support as your OH is also on JSA. Apply for this - forms from your local council.

You should also be entitled to Support for Mortgage Interest (google for more information) after 13 weeks of OH being on JSA.

In the meantime you should contact your mortgage lender and ask for some help/advice.

As regards your credit card debts as you have very little income you should write to them enclosing an Income and Expenditure form and ask them to allow you to make token payments until your OH gets a job. (CAB can help with this)

You may find because of your being an intermitting student that claiming benefits may not be straight forward. Again CAB should be able to support you.

Until your OH can find his 'dream' job could he do a couple of part time jobs (bar/restaurant work)? If he could get 24 hrs a week you might be entitled to working tax credits as well as child tax credits.

lowriful

Very useful thanks