First time considering Universal Credit - help!

Mr_Countdown

Hi. I’ve luckily never been in a position to have to think about claiming benefits before but my circumstances are likely to seriously change soon. 

I’m almost 55 and currently live on a UK island (for the last 10 months) with my partner and have a flat on the mainland which I rent out. 

Sadly my relationship is falling apart and we have agreed to split up when the tenancy on my flat runs out (end of May) and I can move in there.
I previously worked for 36 years at the same company but gave this up in April 2022 after having the opportunity to live on an island with my partner. We moved here due to her new job and the rented property here is in her name. I also felt mentally totally burnt out from my previous job so it seemed the right move all round. I have been working 2-3 days a week here doing a driving job. 

Now that I’m moving back to my flat on the mainland I’m really worried about how I will survive money wise as I have savings of about £5000 and adding up all my monthly bills they will be about £1300. I have completed an ‘entitled to’ benefits calculator from a link on this website and it states I would be eligible to around £800 pm universal credit and relief on my council tax. While not covering all my costs this would certainly help. 

Mentally I don’t feel in the right mindset to start a new job again soon. 

I have an ok pension built up through work which when 60 will be worth around £17,000 a year. Quite a bit reduced if I take it earlier.
I would be living on my own back in my flat and have 2 grown up children who have places of their own. 

So I guess my questions are:

1) Does it sound about right what the online calculator says I’m entitled to?

2) Morally would I be doing the right thing claiming benefits? (never thought I would be in this situation)

3) Is there any further constructive advice/help anyone can give to help me?

Apologies for the long post. I just wanted to explain my situation. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

poppy12345

Mr_Countdown said:

 I would be eligible to around £800 pm universal credit and relief on my council tax. While not covering all my costs this would certainly help. 

Your UC would be single claimant over 25 £368.74/month maximum entitlement. Any earnings received each month will reduce that by 55%. Providing you move back into your home that you're currently renting out.

Council tax reduction will need to be claimed from your local Authority. Savings of less that £6,000 will not affect any entitlement.

JonVarnas

For a start, there is absolutely nothing immoral about claiming benefits at all, so if you're eligible, and it looks like you are, claim it - it's what it's there for.

With regards to the amount you'll get, I can't see it being as much as £800 a month as you'll be living in your own property, therefore not receive the housing element of UC. For a single person with no dependents I'd imagine you'd only receive the standard allowance which is around £335 a month, unless you qualify for other elements of course.

poppy12345

JonVarnas said:

 I'd imagine you'd only receive the standard allowance which is around £335 a month

If they claim after the benefits increase of 10.1% in April (they said May) then the monthly amount will have increased to £368.71/month.

Mr_Countdown

Many thanks Poppy12349 and JonVamas for your kind and helpful replies. 

I appreciate what you say about only being eligible for £335 per month as a single person living in my own flat. 

One of the questions on the ‘entitled to’ calculator was “How much do you pay in charges, ground rent and housing costs per week”? 

I have service charge and ground rent costs of about £2,000 a year and obviously lots of other housing costs like utility bills etc. Can these be put in this answer?
I put £150 per week in here as a conservative estimate. I think this was what triggered a universal credit result of around £800. 

Should I have put zero in here or a set amount? It isn’t clear. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Mr_Countdown said:

One of the questions on the ‘entitled to’ calculator was “How much do you pay in charges, ground rent and housing costs per week”? 

I have service charge and ground rent costs of about £2,000 a year and obviously lots of other housing costs like utility bills etc. Can these be put in this answer?

Some service charges can have help on UC, but utility bills not at all.  (To the point that if someone pays rent to their landlord with bills included, UC will not pay any housing element until the landlord gives a brwakdown of what is rent and what is bills.)

Altior

Don't you have to be actively looking for work to make a claim? 

If you don't feel like working, why should/would the taxpayer pick up your living expenses instead?

It may have changed but several years ago, from what I recall, it was treated differently if you chose to make yourself unemployed. 

I stand to be corrected here by current experts in the field, a lot has changed in this area since I was involved. 

Loza2016

Do you know your tenants will definitely move out in may? 

The fixed term may be ending but doesn’t mean your tenants have to leave. You may have to evict them through the courts which can take a long time. 

Absolutely nothing wrong with claiming what your entitled to so please don’t think your doing anything wrong. 

Rubyroobs

Altior said:

Don't you have to be actively looking for work to make a claim? 

If you don't feel like working, why should/would the taxpayer pick up your living expenses instead?

It may have changed but several years ago, from what I recall, it was treated differently if you chose to make yourself unemployed. 

I stand to be corrected here by current experts in the field, a lot has changed in this area since I was involved. 

If op has no health conditions or other status like being a carer which preventing them from working then yes they would need to be actively work searching for 35 hours a week in order to continue claiming UC.

poppy12345

Altior said:

It may have changed but several years ago, from what I recall, it was treated differently if you chose to make yourself unemployed. 

That is correct but the OP ended their employment in April 2022 so a sanction won't apply now.

Altior

poppy12345 said:

Altior said:

It may have changed but several years ago, from what I recall, it was treated differently if you chose to make yourself unemployed. 

That is correct but the OP ended their employment in April 2022 so a sanction won't apply now.

Cheers poppy, yes the OP said that they have been part time driving after leaving that post. So I guess it rests on how that is/was being reported.