Is housing benefit paid a month in arrears?

bosshunter

Hi, need to move house as soon as possible (we currently live in a very small 1 bedroom flat on 3rd floor and I'm due to have 1st baby in 8 weeks time). We've found a house, that's not a problem (well it was for the first 7 months of my pregnancy!) and we have a moving day, 1st July. On the very positive side, Landlord is happy to not have any deposit or any fees, he just wants first months rent on the day we move in (so we will continue to pay every month on the first) sounds completely fair to me, however... I'm on housing benefit at the moment and it's paid directly from council to the local housing association where I live, so I don't see it, now because the rent in the new house is over our local housing allowance (by £17 a week, not really steep, I think the local housing allowance is a bit low at £103 for a 2 bedroom house in Liverpool, anyway) I will have to pay the extra myself, which I've worked out and should be fine for us (we don't really have an alternative to be honest), I'll need the housing benefit paid directly to me so I can make the full month rent direct to landlord... if that makes sense, rather than having a portion of it sent straight to them via the council and then a bit from me as well.
Anyway my question is... how can I pay the lanlord on the first day I move in, when I've been told by housing benefit/council tax etc that there's no point in my changing the circumstances now until I've actually moved in, as without a tenancy agreement, there's nothing they can do.. I can't and wont receive my tenancy agreement until the 1st, when I sign it.

I could ask the landlord just to wait for the housing benefit to go through but have heard it can take up to 3 months to sort and honestly, I don't think he'd wait that long with no money from me.

Thinking of asking for a budgeting loan to cover the cost although don't think even the max amount of a couple (£400?) will cover the first months rent, and I've recommended to apply for one as soon as the baby as born as we'd be 'entitled' to a lot more (about £800) instead?

Sorry for very long rambling post!

Any advice very welcome!

(if it's any help, I'm on income related ESA in support group).

specialboy

£103 per week LHA isn't low for a 2 bed house. That £446 per month additional income.

specialboy

Cold you lend the cash off family or friends just until you get it all sorted?

Caz3121

Do either of you receive DLA?, If not your HB claim will be based on the one-bedroom rate do you will need to find £29 per week topup for those week until baby arrives when it will change to the 2 bedroom rate.
Yes HB is paid in arrears and not at the same interval as your rent

specialboy

Caz3121 wrote: »

Do either of you receive DLA?, If not your HB claim will be based on the one-bedroom rate do you will need to find £29 per week topup for those week until baby arrives when it will change to the 2 bedroom rate.
Yes HB is paid in arrears and not at the same interval as your rent

Is that correct? If one of the couple are on DLA then they can have a 2,3 or 4 bed house and have all the rent paid? (Up to the LHA limit of course)

19lottie82

specialboy wrote: »

£103 per week LHA isn't low for a 2 bed house. That £446 per month additional income.

That's a pretty sweeping statement. It may not be low for where you live, but it would be for where I live.

Caz3121

specialboy wrote: »

Is that correct? If one of the couple are on DLA then they can have a 2,3 or 4 bed house and have all the rent paid? (Up to the LHA limit of course)

I think if one are on DLA they may be entitled to an additional bedroom in the rate.

If they are not receiving DLA then the HB (pre baby) will be based on the one bedroom rate, of course they can choose to live in any size property they wish but would only have housing benefit for the one bedroom rate

silvercar

On the very positive side, Landlord is happy to not have any deposit or any fees, he just wants first months rent on the day we move in (so we will continue to pay every month on the first) sounds completely fair to me,...

You are fortunate to find a landlord willing to take you with no deposits or fees.

To expect him to hand over keys without the first month's rent in full on the day you move in, is asking too much.

Changing from getting the rent paid direct to being responsible to making the rent payments on time in full each month is something you need to adjust to and quickly. Indeed one of the reasons that lots of landlords are less keen on tenants who are reliant on HB is that they don't make this adjustment in their finances.

fed_up_and_stressed

I suggest you apply for a discretionary Housing Payment from your council. I know from recent case work I have been involved with my local council council, in certain circumstances have allowed DHP's to be used for advanced rent.

specialboy

19lottie82 wrote: »

That's a pretty sweeping statement. It may not be low for where you live, but it would be for where I live.

It's not too low for anywhere, it's just that rents are so high.

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Award of DLA does not automatically give someone entitlement to extra bedrooms so at the moment only entitled to 1 bedroom rate LHA until the child is born when it will increase to 2 bedroom rate.

Extra bedroom is if you have a regular overnight carer who needs the room to look after disabled claimant or partner.

HB is normally paid every 28 days in arrears so over a course of a year you will receive 13 payments for 12 months rent.