I will do my best to ask my question without making it too complicated.

I have 14 separate diagnosis. I live currently in the home I raised my children in, which was recently transferred from the council to a housing association. All my children have left home. I have carers coming in to help with personal care and domestic tasks and taking me out into the community, i.e. shopping, coffee out, for 7 hrs per week, the remainder of the time I am at home, in doors and extremely lonely. It is having a real impact on some of my diagnosis.

I have a friend that is returning from outside the UK after 14 years and they are hoping to return to their home town in Yorkshire. I live in the south east and I would like to be able to share a 2 bedroom flat or house with him in Yorkshire for companionship. There is no relationship other than friends between myself and this person who happens to be male. We have known each other for 33 years.

At home I feel as if I am just waiting for the inevitable....I have social services involvement but what I want to know is this....Is it possible to move to Yorkshire and move in with a friend that would for my benefit reduce the amount of care I would require, reduce and potentially stop some conditions from occurring and have a normal happy life as much as possible, without being accused as him being my partner?

Thanks

Your friend coming back to the UK would presumably be finanancially independent, so would not require any state benefits ? If they needed any UK benefits, they would need to wait until they qualified for help and pass an Habitual Residency Test. Suggest this is looked into.

When you claim benefits, you would list your friend as a non dependant living with you and any housing benefit could be reduced by a small amount, as your friend would be contributing towards such costs.

At some stage, yes you could be asked about your relationship and it would be wise to maintain documents to show your history as 2 independent people.

Thanks for replying :o)

Yes, he would be financially independent, he's 62 at present and plans to travel before finding somewhere to share a place in the UK. Ok, I will keep documents and advise him to do the same. I would imagine the housing association place or council place would be in my name as I would either be doing a mutual exchange or requesting a transfer based on my health conditions.

Thanks again for contacting me with your advice

If you did an exchange and then he moved in with you it will affect your benefits but not as much as having a partner. H may be able to claim a carers allowance as well. Jump through those hoops when they are presented to you, the home swap is not dependant upon any of that.

"Jumping through hoops" I could drag myself through some I guess lols.

We were together once, perhaps a year, but that was 33 years ago and since then he's been married, now divorced.

This is all very theoretical at this stage, I mean we haven't seen each other in 22 years, so will be taking it all rather slowly, i.e, visiting me at mine for a week, then seeing if we still get on face to face after such a long gap....we might, after all this, hate each other altogether and the last thing either of us want would be to end up living in the same place, not being able to stand the sight of each other lols

the keep your financial affairs totally separate, dont let him have his name on a bill there, even his mobile account until any interest the DWP or council may have is sorted. They like to try it ona nd prove you are an item and thus save them a load of money by making assumptions. The law puts the onus on you to prove the council are wrong so make it easier for yourself and keep all utilities etc in your name.

Anyways, if you do chuck him out there will be no complications in having to create new accounts either.

I had planned to keep everything in my name as you suggested, but I hope I wouldn't need to chuck him out, having lost contact for 22 years, that would seem a shame having only made contact recently

Hi

Is your present property:

Disabled adapted when you took the Tenancy? or

Has the property since you took Tenancy been Adapted in any way?

Who you really need to be discussing this move with is those dealing with your care i.e. social services.

The difficulty you may have and this is only if you require a property with adaptions (this includes your present property if it has been adapted in any way for your needs). Unless an emergency which this is not you would be added to a waiting list.

Is your Housing Association linked with Homeswapper or Home Finder? (have a check of there website if so register and have a wee look for the area you want to move to and those wanting to swap.

Hi

 

Is your present property:

 

Disabled adapted when you took the Tenancy? or

 

Has the property since you took Tenancy been Adapted in any way?

 

Who you really need to be discussing this move with is those dealing with your care i.e. social services.

 

The difficulty you may have and this is only if you require a property with adaptions (this includes your present property if it has been adapted in any way for your needs). Unless an emergency which this is not you would be added to a waiting list.

 

Is your Housing Association linked with Homeswapper or Home Finder? (have a check of there website if so register and have a wee look for the area you want to move to and those wanting to swap.

Hi,

there hasn't been major adaptation, my GP and Soical Worker and O.T. all agreed I needed a stair lift and wet room, but as I am single living in a 3 bedroom house, now my children have left home, even though I pay bedroom tax, they wouldn't do the adaptations. I have a social worker as I have carers to help with domestic and personal care, I have a few diagnosis, but Agoraphobia is certainly a struggle, which I've had for 8 years now, I go out with carers for 7 hours per week over 2 days, the lack of human contact is doing nothing for my depression but my Autism hampers me from being in too big a crowd of people...it's all a bit of a nightmare. Companionship is what I need and as I have a meeting with my Social Worker on Monday 1st October, I will be able to discuss the situation with her. It's all a bit up in the air atm, my friend hasn't yet left New Zealand, he's selling up to move back to the UK, it's not just my needs that need to be met, I just have all this uncertainty of when, let alone where! Thanks for the information and I'll discuss it with my Social Worker :o)

If you are on PIP or other qualifying disability benefit, then the spare room deduction can be removed or decreased, if you explain need to use a spare room for storing equipment or for a carer to stay over.