Private Rental and Housing Benefits

jessicann

Hello!!
Does anyone know if it is possible to move from a council tenancy over to private rental and still claim housing benefit? I am looking at private rental of approx £700, but I on a low income (At the moment I recieve housing/council benefit, tax credits and D.L.A). I am looking to move for urgent family reasons and mutal exchange has been of no success.
Thank you very much!:o

peachespeaches

Yes you can get HB on a private rental but it will depend on the property and who is occupying it as to how much you get. Ask for a pre Tenancy determination form from the housing benefit people, fill this out, and you will find out how much you will get and if you have to put any towards the rent.

Also expect HUGE delays ... ! When you re-apply for housing benefit it will take ages. If the landlord states "no DSS" then you will have to pay the rent yourself until the HB comes in.

john539

jessicann wrote: »

Hello!!
Does anyone know if it is possible to move from a council tenancy over to private rental and still claim housing benefit? I am looking at private rental of approx £700, but I on a low income (At the moment I recieve housing/council benefit, tax credits and D.L.A). I am looking to move for urgent family reasons and mutal exchange has been of no success.
Thank you very much!:o

Likely you will have to pay more rent & may get less for your money.

Don't forget the relative stability which you have with council accomodation, which does not exist in private rented sector (higher rents, uncontrolled rent increases, landlord can give notice at any time)

jessicann

I see. Thank you very much the both of you!!

dreamer67

You shouldnt have to wait too long for a interim payment but applying for a pre tenancy determination will give you a rough idea what they will pay before commiting. If you have more rooms than you need the rent will be restricted but you will still be able to get some help.

I would never give up a council property for private rented though. You will lose the long term security, be restricted even on decorating and will never know if they will put the rent up more than you can afford.

Gorgeous_George

You often get more with a private rental.

I provide a cooker, carpets and a freshly decorated house for starters. As I bought the house to let out, providing rent is paid on time, my tenant can stay indefinately (but limited to 12 months contract). I accept that not all LLs are the same.



GG

clutton_2

""a pre tenancy determination will give you a rough idea what they will pay before commiting"

this is a common misconception - the PTD figure is arrived at by the Rent Office ( a private quango) and is the rental figure that the rent office calculate that the property is worth, not what amount of HB will be paid. The rent office provide the maximum HB payable rental pcm.

if a 3 bedroomed house is judged to be worth £400 pcm by the Rent Office - and then a single person applies to live in that property - the single person will only be awarded rent AS IF the property were a one bedroomed property and they will not be awarded the full market rent of £400 - as that is the rent for a 3 bedroomed house, not a 1-bedroomed house - which is all HB will pay for a single person.

teeni

Check if the area your property is in still operates housing benefit for private rents, or whether it has already changed over to the Local housing allowance which is on trial in various areas until april 2008 when it goes nationwide, the rules are very different and it is based on your family and income and not on ewither the rent paid or the size of the property, generally the payments are higher in Local Housing allowance areas thatn in Housing benefit areas.

Also really consider whether there is any other option to leaviing a local authority tenancy as once you give it up you may never get one again if the need arises

good luck

jessicann

Thank you everyone has been so helpful!
I need to move urgently to be near my parents. I have tried mutual exchange to stay in a council property, but no exchange has been a success. As the situation has become urgent now this is why I am looking towards private rental.

jessicann

Hi everyone again.
I have another question if that's ok.
I have looked into the situation and believe I could get some help to pay the rent should I try private renting. Is it really that easy to get financial assistance? Surely if the council assist people with rent that easily everyone would private rent?

patricia1066

Before you end your tenancy to move closer to your parents, visit your law centre, and ask for advice on all the issues re their health needs and how can you manage to care for them without losing your council tenancy.

For example your parents may be at risk if they dont have a carer local to them. You might want them to join your household, but you cannot accommodate them. An adviser can negotiate on your behalf and may know of schemes which you havent heard of.

If its essential that you move, and you cant transfer to your parents borough, then find out what the council will pay for a voluntary surrender.

You may decide to move home. You later lose your private tenancy for no fault of your own, and ask for rehousing by the council; the council in which you are resident will consider that you had a secure tenancy which you chose to surrender, when your alternative left you with a serious risk of homelessness, this allows them to refuse to assist you, when you need help later under the intentionality rules.

You will be facing a new challenge from next April when the Local Housing Allowance is introduced. Its likely to be less sensitive to the higher end of the rental market, making some areas of the UK "unaffordable" to those on low wage and social security benefits. The point of the change is to give the same allowance to all regardless of whether they live in a low rent area or in the high end. This is very important to consider, as how would you pay increased amounts from your benefits to make up the widening gap?

By the way (for private tenants reading this) there will be some transitional protection for those who currently get HB but keep the current HB award correspondence, as you will need to fight to keep it!

Good luck whatever you decide.