Unemployed in 2 bed house tenant leaving issue

[marlow]

Wonder if anyone can point me in the right difrection for this one?

 

I currently rent a room in a 2bed house, the other room is occupied by the house owner herself. Iinitially I worked but lost my job so since then have been getting the maximum housing benefit per week whiuch quite frankly doesn't hardly come close to even covering the rent of my room!!! And that is about £60 per week max benefit for a shared house. Well she's decied to move out in amonth or so so has been talking about getting another tenenat in for her room. But I was thinking, could I then get FULL housing benefit for the whole house along with the usual council tax reduction and w/e else? Or would they refuse to do that unless I was in a 1 bed?

[loan_ranger]

Hi Marlow, sorry but you can only get the "single room rate" in your current accommodation - the 2nd bedroom isn't eligible for LHA.

If it's privacy that you seek then your only option is to rent a 1 bed flat - this would be eligible for a higher rate of LHA. I've posted some useful links in the "Stickies" section re. LHA amounts - this one is very helpful:

"The LHA-Direct website has been developed to enable tenants renting accommodation from a private landlord to calculate the possible amount of Housing Benefit available to them from their Local Authority."

https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Secure/Default.aspx

[marlow]

Ok well how about this? I have a daughter who comes to visit on weekends. It's essential I keep up this contact with her for her own good. Any difference now?

[loan_ranger]

Makes no difference unless she moves in with you F/T. Get a flat, then when she comes - one of you can have the lounge and the other can sleep in the bedroom.

[marlow]

People shouldn't be forced to sleep on sofas. I'll have to get this checked out with citizen's advice or something.

[loan_ranger]

Sorry but LHA isn't intended to pay for people to have a "guest room".

How about your daughter leaving where she's currently living and renting the other room in the house (you're in) when it becomes vacant?

[marlow]

She's 6

[loopinlouie]

For a child of six you could give her the bed and sleep on the sofa if shes visiting?

 

Nowt wrong with a sofa bed or even just pop feet up on the arm, a lot of people do this. Even some parents with children living with them full time have to share bedsits where I live due to demand for two bed properties.

 

Youd have more privacy at least in one bed flat xx

[daveydavey]

if you're over 25 you're entitled to the local housing allowance for a 1 bed flat/house. If you take over the tenancy for the 2 bed house as entirely you're own you will still be entitled to housing benefit, just at the 1 bed level. It will be considered as overlarge by the rent officer nevertheless you will still be entitled to housing benefit. So how reasonable is the rent ? if its at or close to the 1 bed level in your area then theres no reason why you cant take the whole tenancy. Any excess (difference between actual rent & local housing allowance for 1 bed) will be expected to be met by you out of jsa/is etc. - are you over 25? if not you're only entitled to single room level of HB. if over 25 then take it but try to ask the landlady if she can charge rent close to the 1 bed level.

[marlow]

Yes am over 25. And no the benefit hardly even comes close to renting this one room let alone the whole house, the tigh arses! how the hell they expect me to make it up from the £60 benefit per week to the £80 rent I have to pay, then pay for food and w/e else with from £60 a week jsa is utterly atrocious! How they can limit it to £60 a week is beyond me when hardly any rooms for rent are that cheap!!!!!

[daveydavey]

marlow check out the link that loan ranger has posted to find out what sort of HB you'd be able to claim for 1 bed accom. in your area. Then find out what the LL would charge for the 2 bed property as a whole. if there's not much difference, then you would be able to rent out the property as a whole and have your daughter stay at weekends.

[daveydavey]

...and bear in mind that if/when you do find a job you may well find yourself in a benefits trap - not much better off financially working - & also that under the 'emergency' [sic] budget your housing benefit will be reduced by 10% if you're on JSA for more than 12 months.

[marlow]

marlow check out the link that loan ranger has posted to find out what sort of HB you'd be able to claim for 1 bed accom. in your area. Then find out what the LL would charge for the 2 bed property as a whole. if there's not much difference, then you would be able to rent out the property as a whole and have your daughter stay at weekends.

 

Sir I'm already receiving the maximum benefit which they tell me is £60 per week. So they're basically sayin no one can rent a room more than £240 a month (which absolutely does NOT EXIST) cos that's the highest amount of benefit they can get for it!

[loopinlouie]

Thing is not much else can probably be advised. You could always try your mp. At the moment they are getting tougher on housing benefit and unlikely to get more generous unless you have full time care of child.

[Aviva]

Other posters have told you to find out what the 1 bedroom (self contained) rate is for your area as this will be higher than the 1 bedroom (shared facilities) rate that you will be on at the moment.

 

For example I live in North London and for my area you get £85.34 maximum per week for the shared rate but £178.36 maximum per week for the self contained rate.

[marlow]

Ahh right gotcha. Excuse me for being thick doh! I'll check that out

[marlow]

It works out I'd get about another £40 a week which indeed makes it affordable, only difference is I'd have the £200 a month bills total which is obviously a big difference. And then like someone said there's the hassle of job seekers getting on my case all the time if didn't find a job. Well thanks for everyone's input anyway