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Housing Benefit for a pensioner
tinytina
Posts: 31 Forumite
I wonder if anyone can help me.
A friend of mine is 82 years old. He rents a room in a house and has no savings. I have just helped him apply for pension credit which he has got and is over the moon with. He still has very little to live on though as his rent uses much of his pension. I was thinking of helping him to apply for housing benefit but the thing is the house he rents his room in belongs to his son.
According to the help notes, he can not apply for housing benefit if the rent he is paying is going to a close relative who lives in the house. His son, however, does not live there, he has his own house a few miles away in which he lives with his wife and 3 children.
His son can not afford to let him live there rent free. Can the father claim since the son does not live there?
A friend of mine is 82 years old. He rents a room in a house and has no savings. I have just helped him apply for pension credit which he has got and is over the moon with. He still has very little to live on though as his rent uses much of his pension. I was thinking of helping him to apply for housing benefit but the thing is the house he rents his room in belongs to his son.
According to the help notes, he can not apply for housing benefit if the rent he is paying is going to a close relative who lives in the house. His son, however, does not live there, he has his own house a few miles away in which he lives with his wife and 3 children.
His son can not afford to let him live there rent free. Can the father claim since the son does not live there?
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Comments
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Who does he live with?Gone ... or have I?0
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I'm not sure if this helps, but i used to rent my parents house, i paid them rent and it was all done above board eg proper rent book etc. I got HB while i lived there, so i can't foresee a problem. There is a place ont he HB form that says are you related to the landlord.
I have to add, this was about 6 years ago and things may have changed. Maybe a call to CAB might help.
Good luck
EDIT i should add my parents DID'NT live int he house at the same time.The first time we said hello, was the first time we said goodbye. As the angels took your tiny hand and flew you to the sky-you forever left us breathless. RIP my beautiful granddaughter
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He lives in a house where all the bedrooms are rented out and the people living there share the kitchen and bathroom although he has an en-suite so does not need to share the bathroom. He is not related in anyway to anyone who rents any of the other rooms,0
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My understanding is if the son can prove that the house is a commercial venture and not just bought so that his dad can live there and claim HB, then the Dad will be entitled.
For example : If the dad didn't live there, would the room be rented to somebody else? Has the house always been rented to people other than the Dad?
We used to have a flat which w bought as an investment property. When our son lived in it and applied for HB, a letter from an Estate Agent to say the flat had been advertised on the open market, and a clause on the mortgage papers saying that we could create an Assured Shorthold Tenancy, sufficed .
The Dad will need a rent book and a rental contract too.
Hope this helps.(AKA HRH_MUngo)
Member #10 of £2 savers club
Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton0 -
Contact SHELTER for advice, they are brilliant:
http://england.shelter.org.uk/advice/advice-7386.cfm
Lin
You can tell a lot about a woman by her hands..........for instance, if they are placed around your throat, she's probably slightly upset.
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as seven day week stated the only problem regarding renting from a close relative is proving that it is not a contrieved tenancy.
In housing benefits we send questions to landlords and tenants before we assess their claims to gather evidence regarding the tenancy is commercial or not.
You state that his son could and would rent to someone else if rent was not paid. In my view that is a commercial tenancy and hb should be granted based upon that.0 -
Many thanks for all your replies. It certainly appears he would get housing benefit so I've downloaded a form and will help him to complete it. Fingers crossed
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As long as he's liable to pay rent then there's no reason why it shouldn't be awarded. It sounds as though it's a genuine commercial tenancy and is not contrived to take advantage of the benefit system. If he's turned down he should seek advice about appealing. They'll only pay the actual 'rent' aspect and nothing towards heating, lighting etc if this is what his rent includes.I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!0
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Hope he gets it Tina, he'll be well-off with his Pension Credit and Housing Benefit!
Please let us know how he gets on.(AKA HRH_MUngo)
Member #10 of £2 savers club
Imagine someone holding forth on biology whose only knowledge of the subject is the Book of British Birds, and you have a rough idea of what it feels like to read Richard Dawkins on theology: Terry Eagleton0
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