Housing benefit and house-sharing

mudskippa

Afraid_of_Kittens wrote: »

My question was have you told DWP about your income from rent.

It is your income. They are your sub tenants. You collect rental income. Irrespective of it going straight out to pay rent - it is income.

Housing Benefit do not deduct this rental income from your Housing Benefit income.

As you are on ESA it is the DWP that make the adjustments to your ESA taking into account your rental income.

I have discussed this thoroughly with ESA and HB. HB DO deduct it, which is why I don't get the full amount I am entitled to. They deduct the rent paid by the others from the total amount paid to the landlord, and I only get enough HB to cover my portion of rent (which is currently less than I am entitled to, because my rent is less than the LHA allowance).

My ESA is contribution-based anyway and I'm in the support group. I don't know how they make their decisions sometimes, but I can assure you, they know all about the arrangement and the decision-maker is satisfied wth it.