Housing Benefit. Questions..

summer_blizzard

Hey.. Figured this was the best section to put this in.

So basically the situation is that i have finished university and been at home for 6 weeks however as i'm yet to secure employment my parents want me out.

What i've done as a result of this of this is apply as homeless for social housing in my parents local authority as that's the one i have a 'local connection' to.

Now despite registering as homeless there the woman on the phone did say that demand is high so i should seek other options (presumably in the private sector).

Question - Based on the above, am i limited to looking at private housing (that accepts housing benefit) in just my local authority or can i look in Leeds for example which is more than twice the size (and has the bulk of Yorkshire's employment so chances are it will be more convenient for work).

Second question - Once i find a house (there are few in Leeds i've spotted which are below the housing benefit threshold for singles) what do i do.. it seems quite difficult to find a concise guide on how to apply, when i'd move in and get it ect..

silvercar

Find a property and then apply for housing benefit. You will need to have an idea of how much HB you are entitled to and that will vary by area.

Assuming you are under 35, you will only be entitled to the shared accommodation rate of LHA. eg Leeds is £64.60 per week

Indie_Kid

A single healthy person without children who applies for social housing will be waiting years for a flat.

You need a tenancy agreement before you can apply for housing benefit.

FBaby

I think your safest way forward is to discuss a plan with your parents and try to stay there as long as possible. Why do they want you out? Do they feel that your job search is lacking?

Getting somewhere decent without a job is going to be extremely difficult, certainly more than getting any job. Young unemployed people are not high on the list of landlords.

xylophone

Could you take a temp job through an agency and stay with your parents while looking for full time employment?

HappyMJ

summer_blizzard wrote: »

Hey.. Figured this was the best section to put this in.

So basically the situation is that i have finished university and been at home for 6 weeks however as i'm yet to secure employment my parents want me out.

What i've done as a result of this of this is apply as homeless for social housing in my parents local authority as that's the one i have a 'local connection' to.

Now despite registering as homeless there the woman on the phone did say that demand is high so i should seek other options (presumably in the private sector).

Question - Based on the above, am i limited to looking at private housing (that accepts housing benefit) in just my local authority or can i look in Leeds for example which is more than twice the size (and has the bulk of Yorkshire's employment so chances are it will be more convenient for work).

Second question - Once i find a house (there are few in Leeds i've spotted which are below the housing benefit threshold for singles) what do i do.. it seems quite difficult to find a concise guide on how to apply, when i'd move in and get it ect..

The council is telling you that you have zero chance of getting social housing.

No landlord will take a risk with an unemployed person on benefits with no money in the bank. They might take a risk if their property is rubbish and HB pays more than the market rate for their own property. HB pays rent to cover the cheapest 30% of properties. If a LL is advertising a property and could get an extra £20 just by accepting all of your HB then it's probably going to be a rubbish property. I would avoid it.

My advice...claim JSA and hand every penny of that to your parents for your board and lodgings. It'll go some way towards covering your living costs. You'll be able to eat and you'll be paying for your fair share of the bills. You won't be able to go out with your mates (unless they pay)...if you want to do that you'll need to get a job. Once you've got a job continue to pay your parents £57.90 a week and I'm sure your parents won't mind you staying on for a bit longer.

summer_blizzard

To be fair to the parents I'm now 26 and have not lived with them for 4 years so as council tenants themselves they took a cheaper, 2 bedroom property (for them and my brother) hence even paying board im sleeping on a matress in the front room, not sustainable for anybody.

I've applied as homeless so my parents local authority will give me somewhere however I think the best bet is to find the best property I can on Spareroom or somewhere like that for a property accepting housing benefit.

Caz3121

As has been pointed out, you will get the shared accommodation rate (as a single person with no disability) it is likely a one bedroom place will have a higher rent than the LHA rate and any excess would need to come from your JSA...which also needs to cover bills/food etc
Depending on the local authority they may have hostel accommodation or B&B (which will likely be more than the LHA rate too) so house share probably would be the best bet...at least you have some sort of say and would be easier to move on if you happen to find work in another area rather than being tied to a long contract

Bollotom

Have a look at Housing Associations in your area.:cool:

Ames

Maybe look for somewhere to live as a lodger? You'll be able to claim housing benefit, and are probably more likely to find somewhere to take you on.

BigAunty

The Shelter website has good information on how the council process an application for homelessness and whether or not you would be considered a priority and be entitled to any support.

As others have indicated, single people without disabilities or dependents in England do not get classed as a priority, therefore the council are not obliged to provide housing and can provide just advice.

I've seen a few documentaries recently on TV about Council homelessness departments and the single homeless featured were sleeping rough on the streets and still the councils quite legally did nothing other than give them access to a phone and a list of local letting agents.

Secondly, if they do accept you as homeless (but they probably have no requirement to), they don't have to offer a social housing tenancy - that was phased out a few years ago. Instead, in England, a council can discharge their responsibility to those in priority need (which you probably aren't) by offering a tenancy in the private sector.

Shelter also has an overview on how HB is paid, how to understand tenancies, etc. Good luck.

Is there any chance you could secure a job, any job, in the near future even if its not a graduate role? This is because the majority of landlords do not like to offer tenancies to those in receipt of HB. I think you might find 90% of vacant properties closed off to you while you are jobless and the few landlords that offer properties to HB tenants may very well do it with their hard to let properties in less nice areas.