Housing benefit living with son ?

poppy12345

As has already been said she would need to be named on the tenancy agreement to be able to claim HB.

Savvy_Sue

poppy12345 wrote: »

As has already been said she would need to be named on the tenancy agreement to be able to claim HB.

[STRIKE]Yes, but wouldn't the household income be taken into account in her claim? ie not just her own? If I'm right, the OP needs to plug total household income into something like entitledto and see what comes out.

It is possible that total income from OP, partner and Mum will mean no claim is possible.

Also worth contacting the local authority to confirm my suspicion?[/STRIKE]I'm wrong, see later posts.

McKneff

Surely mum would be paying a contribution ie rent/board out of her normal income . This could be used to pay for the bigger house. You all need to sit and discuss the matter of finances

Savvy_Sue

McKneff wrote: »

Surely mum would be paying a contribution ie rent/board out of her normal income . This could be used to pay for the bigger house. You all need to sit and discuss the matter of finances

I'd agree, but if Mum has so far been able to claim HB, the OP may believe that Mum's income without that may not be enough of a contribution.

On the other hand, there will only be one set of utility bills (even if higher than OP's current bills if Mum is home all day) and some economies of scale may well be possible.

Definitely worth checking that Mum is claiming everything she is entitled to that only depends on her personal income. Unclear what disability benefits she is getting, or how old she is. May be worth getting advice from somewhere like AgeUK.

EDITED TO ADD: I was wrong about total household income, but I stand by this: it is worth checking that Mum is claiming everything she is entitled to, even if that reduces her HB claim because eg Pension Credit seems to create a heck of a lot less hassle than HB claims ...

pmlindyloo

If you have found a landlord who accepts mum as a joint tenant then she can claim housing benefit as she has a liability for the rent.

As she is a joint tenant then I believe that she would be entitled to the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance. You can check the amount on your council's website.

PS I am assuming that you have no children. If you do then it may not be the shared accommodation rate.

FBaby

Also don't know how frail she is, but you need to consider what would happen if she were to pass away in the middle of the tenancy. You would still have to pay the full amount at least until the end of the tenancy, so could you afford this if the worse were to come?

sheramber

pmlindyloo wrote: »

If you have found a landlord who accepts mum as a joint tenant then she can claim housing benefit as she has a liability for the rent.

As she is a joint tenant then I believe that she would be entitled to the shared accommodation rate of local housing allowance. You can check the amount on your council's website.

PS I am assuming that you have no children. If you do then it may not be the shared accommodation rate.

https://www.gov.uk/housing-benefit/eligibility

Who isn’t eligible

Usually you won’t get Housing Benefit if:

your savings are over £16,000 - unless you get Guarantee credit of Pension Credit
you live in the home of a close relative
you’re a full-time student - unless you’re disabled or have children
you’re residing in the UK as an European Economic Area jobseeker
you’re an asylum seeker or sponsored to be in the UK
you’re subject to immigration control and your granted leave states that you can’t claim public funds

poppy12345

sheramber wrote: »

https://www.gov.uk/housing-benefit/eligibility

Who isn’t eligible

Usually you won’t get Housing Benefit if:

your savings are over £16,000 - unless you get Guarantee credit of Pension Credit
you live in the home of a close relative
you’re a full-time student - unless you’re disabled or have children
you’re residing in the UK as an European Economic Area jobseeker
you’re an asylum seeker or sponsored to be in the UK
you’re subject to immigration control and your granted leave states that you can’t claim public funds

In this case it would be different if the relative is named on the tenacy agreement as stated above..

sheramber

poppy12345 wrote: »

In this case it would be different if the relative is named on the tenacy agreement as stated above..

But if she was on the tenancy agreement the whole household would be relevant, not just hers.

poppy12345

sheramber wrote: »

But if she was on the tenancy agreement the whole household would be relevant, not just hers.

Relevant for what? If she's named on the tenancy agreement, along with the OP and the partner. The mother pays her share of the rent and claims housing benefit. Sounds pretty simple to me.