Need URGENT benefit advice after a relationship breakdown

audioblackout

Hi everyone.

Unfortunately me and my fiancee's relationship recently broke down after 25 years together. It was the best 25 years ever and we both have no regrets! We have no children. None of us have any savings. We're still absolutely best friends but we both want to move on and we've set a deadline of 4 weeks for her to move out. Unfortunately she doesn't earn enough to do this at the moment. We realise she needs some kind of benefits including money for a house/room to rent whilst she gets on her feet, but we're not sure which route to go down.

We need advice quick!

Here's the story:

She presently has her own business finding me work. She earns 3000 pound per year, although it would be easy to switch this so I'm employing her instead for the same money. She presently chooses how many hours she works and again, this can be adapted in the short term to maximise her benefits. She could even stop working for me completely if it meant she gets full benefits whilst we think what jobs she can apply for that would give her a better wage to live off in the long term.

The kind of questions we need answering are: Do we need to apply for tax credits or jsa? Or what? How do we maximise everything based upon what we've said above? What benefits are out there for her? What's the best way to find a house quick that accepts housing benefit in the Leeds area? I'm sure there are others too and if anyone has any other great advice it would be such a help.

In the long term she will be totally fine. It's just this transition period we must make sure she is ok with a house and some money to survive. Although the mortgage of the house is in my name (I've always paid the bills etc as i earn the main wage) we have agreed it will be sold in 6 months and we will split any profit straight down the middle.

So we really need some advice as you can see. What's the best way to go to achieve our goal of her moving out in 4 weeks?

Many, many thanks in advance for any replies x

Mark

karcher

What's the rush? Why is it essential she moves out in 4 weeks?

Seeing as it is all amicable why the need for her to be out?

She will need to find a job that pays her enough to live on first, then she can move out and 'get herself back on her feet'.

Or, if this is for real, which I doubt, maybe you could just move out?

JReacher1

Why wait six months to sell the house?

You've been together 25 years, you claim it's amicable and are still friends but you are planning on kicking her out of her long term home three days after xmas!

Seems harsh.

audioblackout

Hi Karcher.. Thanks for replying. We both have very personal reasons as to why we have set this deadline, and why she will be moving out not me, so please forgive me for not going into them completely. This is a real post and extremely genuine. We are after advice and have presented the situation we are in so perhaps someone can help?

audioblackout

At jreacher this is not about kicking anyone out. This is both what we want. Were just after advice on benefits and our situation, not an analysis of us. Thanks for replying though.

Tigsteroonie

Unfortunately you are more likely to receive judgement advice posts here because you have posted on the Marriages & Families board, rather than the Benefits board.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=139

kingfisherblue

audioblackout wrote: »

Hi everyone.

Unfortunately me and my fiancee's relationship recently broke down after 25 years together. It was the best 25 years ever and we both have no regrets! We have no children. None of us have any savings. We're still absolutely best friends but we both want to move on and we've set a deadline of 4 weeks for her to move out. Unfortunately she doesn't earn enough to do this at the moment. We realise she needs some kind of benefits including money for a house/room to rent whilst she gets on her feet, but we're not sure which route to go down.

We need advice quick!

Here's the story:

She presently has her own business finding me work. She earns 3000 pound per year, although it would be easy to switch this so I'm employing her instead for the same money. She presently chooses how many hours she works and again, this can be adapted in the short term to maximise her benefits. She could even stop working for me completely if it meant she gets full benefits whilst we think what jobs she can apply for that would give her a better wage to live off in the long term.

The kind of questions we need answering are: Do we need to apply for tax credits or jsa? Or what? How do we maximise everything based upon what we've said above? What benefits are out there for her? What's the best way to find a house quick that accepts housing benefit in the Leeds area? I'm sure there are others too and if anyone has any other great advice it would be such a help.

In the long term she will be totally fine. It's just this transition period we must make sure she is ok with a house and some money to survive. Although the mortgage of the house is in my name (I've always paid the bills etc as i earn the main wage) we have agreed it will be sold in 6 months and we will split any profit straight down the middle.

So we really need some advice as you can see. What's the best way to go to achieve our goal of her moving out in 4 weeks?

Many, many thanks in advance for any replies x

Mark

On £3000 a year, it sounds like part time hours on a low wage. She is likely to have to increase her hours. If you employ her, she will have to earn at least minimum wage. Giving up employment can, I believe, lead to sanctions, so it's probably not a wise thing to do.

swingaloo

So what you really want advice on is how to fiddle her hours to get the most benefits.
You are choosing to split in such a hurry but rather than working together as 'long term partners and friends' to achieve this you want the taxpayer to take the brunt.

Perhaps she could get a full time job asap and maybe you could help her raise a bond and first months rent.

Bogalot

As a single person she would need to claim Universal Credits. Are you happy to put her through that, spending 35 hours a week seeking work, attending courses at the Jobcentre, subject to sanctions if she does not do as she is told?

Housing wise she'll be entitled to the one bedroom LHA rate, that's only going to cover (at best) a flat in a crappy area.

Your motivation of maximising benefits is all wrong, it would be soul destroying for her. Why not work out how to pay her a proper wage, or for her to get a proper job, and then she can move out off her own back?

karcher

I doubt she will be entitled to any benefits other than JSA, but she'd have to stop working for the £3K from you.

She certainly won't get much help finding somewhere to live.

If you want her out, find her a private rental, pay the deposit and first months rent etc, then if she is entitled to JSA she may get housing benefit at a guess, but nothing else!

Failing that, you could just live in the real world, stay living together, sell, give her her share and then go your separate ways.

That's the amicable solution.

audioblackout

Tigsteroonie wrote: »

Unfortunately you are more likely to receive judgement advice posts here because you have posted on the Marriages & Families board, rather than the Benefits board.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=139

Thank you . I have always come on here for financial advice so I thought this was the right board. Im not here for judgement so I apologise if I've posted in the wrong place. Tbh some of the replies are good after my last post and thanks everyone after that for trying not to judge our situation.