HOUSING BENEFIT help please

Magenta

Hi all,


My mother who is 63 and lives in a council owned property gets DLA and Housing benefit -she gets the basic pension.


She has just inherited a small amount of money from her own mother who has passed away.


Because of this money she is no longer be eligible for housing benefit.


Because her health is failing badly her brother, who has a private house and is in the process of building a 'granny annex', has asked her to move into his 'granny annex'


She will be paying her brother rent for that.
The money my mother has inherited won't last forever and she will then find herself in the position of having no money to pay the rent to her brother.


At that point would she be able to claim housing benefit again?


Any help or advice on how to go about all this would be most helpful.


I am so worried about all this.


Thank you for reading this. :beer:

monty-doggy

Have you tried speaking to HB about this? There are rules about renting from family but they do vary with each circumstance.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Why is the brother building an annex - is it just for his sister?

If the brother dies what will happen to the sister?

Has your Mother applied for Pension Credit?

Mardle

If your mother hasn't applied for Pension Credit she really should do immediately as an award of Pension Guarantee Credit will give her entitlement to HB & CTB. If her savings are too high for Pension Guarantee Credit then she should qualify for Pension Savings Credit which will give her a bit more income but won't entitle her to HB or CTB.

Are you sure that moving into the 'granny annexe' would be the best thing for her? If it was me I'd be looking to move into sheltered housing where I could retain my independence but have a home suitable for my present and potential future needs.

comeandgo

I've been through similar thing with my mum. If more than £16,000 in bank then no housing benefit. If £15,999 then housing benefit.

dippy3103

comeandgo wrote: »

I've been through similar thing with my mum. If more than £16,000 in bank then no housing benefit. If £15,999 then housing benefit.

It's not that straightforward.

comeandgo

No you are right dippy, you also have to be claiming pension credit.

dippy3103

Magenta wrote: »

Hi all,


My mother who is 63 and lives in a council owned property gets DLA and Housing benefit -she gets the basic pension.


She has just inherited a small amount of money from her own mother who has passed away.


Because of this money she is no longer be eligible for housing benefit.


Because her health is failing badly her brother, who has a private house and is in the process of building a 'granny annex', has asked her to move into his 'granny annex'


She will be paying her brother rent for that.
The money my mother has inherited won't last forever and she will then find herself in the position of having no money to pay the rent to her brother.


At that point would she be able to claim housing benefit again?


Any help or advice on how to go about all this would be most helpful.


I am so worried about all this.


Thank you for reading this. :beer:

When her savings go below £16k- but she would need to show that it's a commercial let. I would strongly advise your Mum thinks very carefully before giving up her secure tenancy. If the property she is in no longer meets her needs then speak to her housing association. If she's "over housed" they will probably bend over backwards to get her into a smaller place.

SJI85

comeandgo wrote: »

No you are right dippy, you also have to be claiming pension credit.

I think the main difficulty is the fact that she may be renting from her brother, a family member. Although there is no rule to say that people can't ever rent from a family member, and claim HB, it really depends on whether the DMs feel the tenancy has been contrived in order to take advantage of the benefit system.

There there's the insecurity if the brother dies, or moves. Will the people who then take the property allow the OP's mother to stay?

turkleton

It also depends on whether the granny annexe is registered as a separate property for Council Tax. If it isn't then your mother will be living with a close relative so will be unable to claim HB.

anmarj

Mardle wrote: »

If her savings are too high for Pension Guarantee Credit then she should qualify for Pension Savings Credit which will give her a bit more income but won't entitle her to HB or CTB.

she cannot get Savings credit as it only kicks in when she reaches 65, and the mum is only 63.

They can apply for HB and CTB if somebody gets Savings Credit only, but the rules of HB/CTB where amount of savings does affect the claim.