How can Council pay for man to live in private flat owned by his parents

WLM21

A friend of mine owns a flat in a nearby property, in quite a good area.

He got talking to one of his neighbours, a chap in his 40s who lives by himself. He says the Council are paying his rent.

Funny that, my previous neighbour knew the chap's parents and they actually own the flat where he lives. They used to live there, but moved abroad several years ago

So a son is staying in his parents flat and the Council are paying the rent.

[Deleted User]

Housing benefit? Housing element of UC?

WLM21

MarkN88 wrote: »

Housing benefit? Housing element of UC?

The going rate for a similar flat in the same block is £550 a month .. Do Council pay this for a single chap ?

he doesn't work BTW

calcotti

Allowable under the rules if the rent is a commercial arrangement. There is no extra costs to the tax payer as son would be supported to pay rent wherever he chooses to live and parents could rent the house to somebody else.

WLM21

calcotti wrote: »

Allowable under the rules if the rent is a commercial arrangement. There is no extra costs to the tax payer as son would be supported to pay rent wherever he chooses to live and parents could rent the house to somebody else.

Thanks ! Now I know

So anybody who isn't working can pick wherever he/she likes and the Council pay.

Wow !

And here's me thinking they would be put in a flat on a Council Estate

TELLIT01

WLM21 wrote: »

Thanks ! Now I know

So anybody who isn't working can pick wherever he/she likes and the Council pay.

Wow !

And here's me thinking they would be put in a flat on a Council Estate

Councils will rarely help, let alone house, a single male. There is a massive shortage of social housing, so this guy and his parents are actually helping the situation rather than making it worse.


Maybe you should seek medical assistance to get the massive chip removed from your shoulder.

Caz3121

WLM21 wrote: »

Thanks ! Now I know

So anybody who isn't working can pick wherever he/she likes and the Council pay.

Wow !

And here's me thinking they would be put in a flat on a Council Estate

they will pay up to the maximum for the person's circumstances and area. A single person over 40 will get the one-bedroom rate
you can check the maximum here - https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx
most councils don't have an excess of empty properties to put people into, he is not homeless so not a priority....maybe he is on the housing list...many areas he could be waiting many years for a property

[Deleted User]

As already said, LHA covers rent up to a certain level, usually some amount below going market rates. So this man's parents are probably letting him stay there at below market rates and presumably trust him to take care of the place in their absence. He isn't homeless or taking up a much needed social housing property.

I can't see the harm. Why do you see anything nasty going on?

If you want to help rather than condemn why don't you volunteer to help in a food bank or some homeless charity? Might be beneficial to challenge some of those assumptions you seem to have.

Owain_Moneysaver

And ... the parents/owners will be paying income tax on that LHA income (after allowed expenses) and capital gains tax on the appreciation in value of the property if they sell it.

tomtom256

WLM21 wrote: »

Thanks ! Now I know

So anybody who isn't working can pick wherever he/she likes and the Council pay.

Wow !

And here's me thinking they would be put in a flat on a Council Estate

No it has to be a commercial rent and not contrived i.e. setup to take advantage of the benefit system.

kingfisherblue

WLM21 wrote: »

Thanks ! Now I know

So anybody who isn't working can pick wherever he/she likes and the Council pay.

Wow !

And here's me thinking they would be put in a flat on a Council Estate

Loads of people rent privately. Just because someone isn't working does not mean that they have to live on a council estate (not that there is anything wrong with many council estates). In many areas, there simply is not enough social housing to accommodate everyone. In my area, the housing associations are actively building a variety of houses and bungalows, but this is not the case in many areas.

I'm also not sure why you have to comment that he is not working. There may be a very good reason. FWIW, I live in a decent area, and I'm on benefits as I care for my severely disabled son. I don't rent - I pay my mortgage from my benefits - but I know that a couple across the road rent, and someone in the next street does too. It doesn't worry me. It's not my business.

May I remind you that this board requests that nobody is judgemental. It's to help people.