Moving into my girlfriends council house

Dinky88

Morning. I have a girlfriend who has 2 children in her 2 bed council house. I have 3 kids and rent privately. Her house is not big enough for me and my children to move into. Is there any chance she can request a larger council house if we did want to move in? I earn £60k a year so realise she would lose benefits and we would have to pay full rent but would she be entitled to ask for a bigger house?

Thanks

nannytone_2

you would need to move in abefore she can become eligible and bid on larger properties.
a lot would depend on availability of properties in the area you live.

so your children live with you full time?

Dinky88

Thanks. It could be a bit of a squeeze lol. 2 are with me full time the other 1 50/50

nannytone_2

do you receive child benefit for 2 oral of your children?
what sexes and ages are hers and your children?

Dinky88

I don't receive any benefits at all as I earn too much. My 3 boys are aged 2,3 and 12. Her 2 boys are 7 and 9. What a madhouse it would be

nannytone_2

your entitlement would be for a 4 bed house, and in my experience, those are as rare as hens teeth in social housing!
i know my local authority doesn't have any 4 beds at all.
even if there are a few, they would be extremely sought after.
my friend had 7 kids in a 2 bed house ( 6 boys and 1 girl) and waited a further 2 years for a 4 bed to become available!
good luck!

just a thought ... your third child that you share custody of....
does his mother claim child benefit/tax credits for him?
where is he registered for school/doctors etc?
if his main home is deemed as being with his mother, then your entitlement would drop to a 3 bed.

Dinky88

Thanks for your advise. I'll keep doing the lottery in the meantime.

Dinky88

Yes she does claim. Would a 3 bed be easier to get hold of?

nannytone_2

it would, but a lot depends on the availability of housing stock in your area.
where i live , people only wait around 3 months for a property, but in some areas they can wait years!

antrobus

Dinky88 wrote: »

....I earn £60k a year so realise she would lose benefits and we would have to pay full rent but would she be entitled to ask for a bigger house?....

She is entitled to ask. Everybody who is 'habitually resident' in the UK is perfectly entitled to ask.

However LAs each have their own individual rules for deciding on who has priority. It is very likely that your LA will award you the lowest priority it can once it knows that you are earning £60k a year.

tomtontom

Could you not rent a larger house privately?