Housing benefit and parent landlord

theartfullodger

As he's your son surely that will be UC/HE (Housing Element) if they do accept it??

pjs493

Things will have undoubtedly have changed a lot in the intervening years, but I rented a flat from my parents about 20 years ago. Their tenants were moving out and the flat was conveniently located for me to attend the university of my choice. I paid the going rate which wasn’t much back then. 

After I graduated I tried to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance and associated benefits while I looked for a job and they flat out refused to give me anything towards rent or council tax because the flat belonged to my parents. 

This was despite me renting it off them with a tenancy agreement etc and proof of my paying rent for the time I was at uni. Luckily, my parents let me skip rent while I was looking for work when I couldn’t claim anything, otherwise I would have been screwed. I think I later paid them back. My rent essentially covered the mortgage and other upkeep costs so they were taking on the burden while I wasn’t able to afford rent. 

propertyrental

pjs.....I rented a flat from my parents about 20 years ago. ....

After I graduated I tried to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance and associated benefits while I looked for a job and they flat out refused to give me anything towards rent or council tax because the flat belonged to my parents. 

.....Luckily, my parents let me skip rent while I was looking for work when I couldn’t claim anything, otherwise I would have been screwed. ......

which is one of the factors in determining a 'contrived tenancy'.

Had you been an unrelated tenant, your parents would probably have either pursued you for the arrears and/or evicted you.

pjs493

propertyrental said:

pjs.....I rented a flat from my parents about 20 years ago. ....

After I graduated I tried to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance and associated benefits while I looked for a job and they flat out refused to give me anything towards rent or council tax because the flat belonged to my parents. 

.....Luckily, my parents let me skip rent while I was looking for work when I couldn’t claim anything, otherwise I would have been screwed. ......

which is one of the factors in determining a 'contrived tenancy'.

Had you been an unrelated tenant, your parents would probably have either pursued you for the arrears and/or evicted you.

If I was unrelated, I would have received housing benefit. My parents had no choice but to let me off the hook for the rent because I simply didn’t have the money to pay it. If I’d not been renting from my parents, the situation wouldn’t have left me without the money to pay rent. Fortunately, I was only unemployed for a few months and was then able to pay them back. I guess if I was renting off someone else and I’d been denied housing benefit for some reason, my parents would have had to lend me the money. Or I’d have been made homeless. 

BarelySentientAI

propertyrental said:

pjs.....I rented a flat from my parents about 20 years ago. ....

After I graduated I tried to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance and associated benefits while I looked for a job and they flat out refused to give me anything towards rent or council tax because the flat belonged to my parents. 

.....Luckily, my parents let me skip rent while I was looking for work when I couldn’t claim anything, otherwise I would have been screwed. ......

which is one of the factors in determining a 'contrived tenancy'.

Had you been an unrelated tenant, your parents would probably have either pursued you for the arrears and/or evicted you.

pjs493 said:

propertyrental said:

pjs.....I rented a flat from my parents about 20 years ago. ....

After I graduated I tried to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance and associated benefits while I looked for a job and they flat out refused to give me anything towards rent or council tax because the flat belonged to my parents. 

.....Luckily, my parents let me skip rent while I was looking for work when I couldn’t claim anything, otherwise I would have been screwed. ......

which is one of the factors in determining a 'contrived tenancy'.

Had you been an unrelated tenant, your parents would probably have either pursued you for the arrears and/or evicted you.

If I was unrelated, I would have received housing benefit. My parents had no choice but to let me off the hook for the rent because I simply didn’t have the money to pay it. If I’d not been renting from my parents, the situation wouldn’t have left me without the money to pay rent. Fortunately, I was only unemployed for a few months and was then able to pay them back. I guess if I was renting off someone else and I’d been denied housing benefit for some reason, my parents would have had to lend me the money. Or I’d have been made homeless. 

It's a bit cart-before-horse isn't it? - your parents will probably let you off without paying rent so we can't give you benefits, which then forces the parents into either letting you off or making you destitute.

Like the student funding - your parents can afford to give you cash, so we will restrict what you can have, which forces them to either pay up or make you destitute.

I understand it when it is means testing of the person receiving the benefits, but stretching it to assume what other relations might be willing or able to contribute is a more difficult concept.

JuzaMum

Just to update, my son got a new job pretty quickly so didn't claim benefits. Thanks for all the input