Housing Benefit Query :(

JWIOW

Hi all,

Unfortunately I was recently dismissed unfairly from my employer (ongoing, likely to tribunal) and have now been told that I am not eligible for Housing Benefit.
My girlfriend and I keep all of our finances separate and this is something we have continued to do since we have been together.
If we go on holiday, we each pay for ourselves, don't have a joint bank etc.

She earns just under £1000 a month after tax and our rent is £575pcm with Council Tax (£100/mth) on top of this. This would leave my girlfriend £225 a month for all fuel costs, bills, etc if she were to pay the full rent.
I am entitled to 'Contribution Based JSA' which makes me ineligible for HB support, although if I was on Income-based I would be automatically which shocked me a little!

Is there anything else that I have not looked into / overlooked support wise that I am able to recieve? I am actively desperate for work, so I'm not intending to be jobless for long - but I'm just concerned about paying my rent for next month!
I don't think £57 a week will cover me to live and pay half of the rent and bills...

What frustrates me is that my girlfriend and I, as I said above do not share any income of each others - I may as well just move into the spare room and state that we're only flat sharing!!! :mad::mad::mad:

Londonsu

JWIOW wrote: »

Hi all,

Unfortunately I was recently dismissed unfairly from my employer (ongoing, likely to tribunal) and have now been told that I am not eligible for Housing Benefit.
My girlfriend and I keep all of our finances separate and this is something we have continued to do since we have been together.
If we go on holiday, we each pay for ourselves, don't have a joint bank etc.

She earns just under £1000 a month after tax and our rent is £575pcm with Council Tax (£100/mth) on top of this. This would leave my girlfriend £225 a month for all fuel costs, bills, etc if she were to pay the full rent.
I am entitled to 'Contribution Based JSA' which makes me ineligible for HB support, although if I was on Income-based I would be automatically which shocked me a little!

Is there anything else that I have not looked into / overlooked support wise that I am able to recieve? I am actively desperate for work, so I'm not intending to be jobless for long - but I'm just concerned about paying my rent for next month!
I don't think £57 a week will cover me to live and pay half of the rent and bills...

What frustrates me is that my girlfriend and I, as I said above do not share any income of each others - I may as well just move into the spare room and state that we're only flat sharing!!! :mad::mad::mad:

Sorry it doesn't work like that, if you are living together then you cannot claim as a single person when it comes to income based benefits, your partners income must be taken into account it does not matter how you would prefer to arrange your finances if the household income is deemed to be too high for income based benefits then you are not entitled to it.


And even if CB JSA was an automatic passport to HB you still would not get it if your partners income is too high.


By all means say you are only flat sharing to try and claim HB, but you run the risk of a charge of benefit fraud if caught.


As I have said before when this situation comes up I have a far better reason then you to be frustrated at household income rules but these rules are there for a reason

Housing_Benefit_Officer

who has told you that you won't qualify for HB?

On the income you have declared you should qualify for a small amount of HB for at least 13 weeks - for 13 weeks your full rent figure is used in the calculation if yu could afford the rent when you moved in and haven't claimed HB in 52 weeks - after 13 weeks your LHA rate for a 1 bedroom property is used.

BlueEyedGirl

She's your girlfriend and you live together. Then 'she' should help support you through difficult times.

Londonsu

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

who has told you that you won't qualify for HB?

On the income you have declared you should qualify for a small amount of HB for at least 13 weeks - for 13 weeks your full rent figure is used in the calculation if yu could afford the rent when you moved in and haven't claimed HB in 52 weeks - after 13 weeks your LHA rate for a 1 bedroom property is used.

But it still would have to be a joint claim with the partner

Housing_Benefit_Officer

Londonsu wrote: »

But it still would have to be a joint claim with the partner

Of course it would. They are partners sharing the same accommodation.

Londonsu

Housing_Benefit_Officer wrote: »

Of course it would. They are partners sharing the same accommodation.

That I think is what the OP needs to understand

JWIOW

Housing benefit themselves told me this.
I enquired about the 13 week assistance and supposedly I'm not eligible for this either as I need to be entitled to HB first?!

According to the person I spoke to, if our joint earnings are over £114 a week or around this, then I'm not entitled?

According to rough calculations, we both (joint with me being on JSA) bring in £1188 a month or thereabouts combined.

pmlindyloo

JWIOW wrote: »

Housing benefit themselves told me this.
I enquired about the 13 week assistance and supposedly I'm not eligible for this either as I need to be entitled to HB first?!

According to the person I spoke to, if our joint earnings are over £114 a week or around this, then I'm not entitled?

According to rough calculations, we both (joint with me being on JSA) bring in £1188 a month or thereabouts combined.

The council might be right but it is worth checking.

Put your details into the benefit calculator on https://www.entitledto.co.uk.

This will show you whether you are eligible for HB and CT reduction.

The calculation will be based on the one bed local housing allowance for your area. The amount should show up on the screen when it comes to the housing part.

This figure is the figure they will use to see if you can receive help from housing benefit.

It could be that your local housing allowance for a one bed place is much less than you are currently paying so you may not be entitled to any HB particularly when your partner's income is taken into account.

It is only if you are entitled based on your LHA would you then receive the 13 weeks 'protection' and they would pay the current rent.

(If I have got this wrong then HBO can correct me)

if you are not entitled to HB then you need to tighten your belts. Lots of ideas on this website to reduce income.

Take any job you can (or even two part time ones) Now is not the time to be choosy. Once you have an income then you can start looking for your preferred job.

Since you keep all your finances separate then your partner may quickly become very fed up of supporting you so finding a job is a priority.

wiltsguy_2

have you tried one of the benefit calculators on here? Put your details in as a joint income, whether you have seperate accounts or not you are 'joint', on those figures you must be entitled to soemthing. Do you calim WTC?

Housing_Benefit_Officer

JWIOW wrote: »

Housing benefit themselves told me this.
I enquired about the 13 week assistance and supposedly I'm not eligible for this either as I need to be entitled to HB first?!

According to the person I spoke to, if our joint earnings are over £114 a week or around this, then I'm not entitled?

According to rough calculations, we both (joint with me being on JSA) bring in £1188 a month or thereabouts combined.

When you make a claim you will be entitled to 13 weeks protection (i.e. full rent being used before LHA rate is used). Of course it would depend on your income and if you qualify.

The £114.85 is the applicable amount for a couple. Meaning your first £114.85 is disregarded as income as this is the amount a couple need for basic living expenses. There is a further £10 income disregard as your partner is working.

If the figures you have given are correct you should get some Housing Benefit. Make a claim ASAP.