Non Dependent Relative and Housing Costs Letter

[princess.rose.at.home]

I have received a letter today - dated 20th May 2012 - from Income Support stating that they need to look again at our housing costs. I have two questions about this, but first I'll give some relevant background information.

 

Husband claims DLA HRM, MRC.

I claim IB with CA as an underlying benefit.

We both claim IS. Husband is old enough to claim Pension Credit but we chose to remain on IS.

We have a mortgage, and Income Support pay about £60pm towards this. We pay the rest out of our IS.

 

An adult, non dependent son still lives at home. Income Support know this.

He works for a small shop, which has been struggling in recent years. But they have plans for expansion, if they get the necessary permission. All of the employees have had their hours cut.

Recently an employee left, and instead of replacing him, his hours have been shared out on a trial, overtime basis. The employees' contracts haven't changed yet, in case it doesn't work out. My son is very flexible and does as much overtime as he can.

 

My questions are as follows.

1. Why does our son's income suddenly affect our mortgage? Nothing has changed recently. He's worked at the same place for several years and Income support know this.

 

2. How do we honestly declare his income? He's on minimum wage, contracted to do around 17 hours a week (I think). But he can do as much as 40 hours if covering holidays, sickness etc. He never knows from one week to the next what his hours will be, and none of this overtime is guaranteed.

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.

[princess.rose.at.home]

I've found the following:

 

Impact of the non-dependant deductions measure

Impact on customers – general

 

14. The change will affect anyone in receipt of an income-related benefit that is

subject to a non-dependant deduction. Any customer with a non-dependant resident

in the household could potentially be affected, with the exception of those customers

that are:

• registered blind;

• receiving Attendance Allowance; or

• receiving the care component of Disability Living Allowance.

 

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/eia-ndd-2011.pdf

 

This is dated February 2011. Has it changed since?

[debt4get]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax...fits/DG_201734

have a look at the link and put in the details to get a figure of what you may be entitled to

[abc123def]

It doesn't affect the benefits so the OP is really asking about changes to payments towards mortgage interest

[debt4get]

err yes...but mortgage interest payment is given as a means tested benefit...what they are asking is will my money go down for this? it will also affect their entitlement to CT...as will everyone with introduction of UC

[debt4get]

original poster...i would send them a copy of his employment contract with hours and payment...dont worry too much about overtime payment as this is so variable....does the form ask anything about overtime worked? if not you could either mention it or estimate over time....

[abc123def]

err yes...but mortgage interest payment is given as a means tested benefit...what they are asking is will my money go down for this? it will also affect their entitlement to CT...as will everyone with introduction of UC

 

Sorry I must have misunderstood the OP, by the wording of question 1 I had assumed that the son's earnings definitely did affect the mortgage payments and they were asking why rather than as you say, they are asking if the mortgage payment will be affected.

[debt4get]

yep like a lot of people they are now finding that helping out your kids by putting them up is going to

cost them....they may be better off asking him to find a flat...but then he is going to have problems affording that....it a no win situation...and i really feel for them and everyone else who are involved in this atrocious government policies

[daggersedge]

yep like a lot of people they are now finding that helping out your kids by putting them up is going to

cost them....they may be better off asking him to find a flat...but then he is going to have problems affording that....it a no win situation...and i really feel for them and everyone else who are involved in this atrocious government policies

 

What's so atrocious about it? The son is sometimes earning more money and he lives at home with his parents. It is reasonable that the government assumes that he is helping out with costs at home. As that is the case, the family doesn't need to take as much money as it does from the taxpayer. That's all.

 

Look, people on these forums often accuse the government of intefering too much in their lives, and so it does. To prevent this, people have to hang together and that means families and friends supporting each other and not looking to the government to do it for them. In this case, the family members are assumed to be supporting each other. The government is doing them a favour because they should be supporting each other. They shouldn't be happy about taking money from taxpayers.

 

This is what people used to do in the past, you know: support each other. The human race survived a long time without income support and other benefits and the world was definitely not a worse place because of it.

[debt4get]

ah I was wondering when the daily mail readers were going to rear their heads.....all this ill thought out policy is going to do is to put people out of their homes and on the streets...when are you going to wake up...and smell the coffee....the son works for minimum slave wage..and these people have a mortgage that at the moment they cannot afford to pay..but no doubt would do if they could do....so if they removed their mortgage relief because of their child has what is fast becoming a scarcity...a job....then do you honestly think that the mortgage company is going to say...never mind we'll wait for the money....well from your point at least the housing market prices should drop with the glut of reposessed homes on the market...

[ims21]

I have unapproved two off topic posts.

 

Please remember this thread is for the OP to get help and not for an argument.

 

Thank you

[debt4get]

no problem

[princess.rose.at.home]

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax...fits/DG_201734

have a look at the link and put in the details to get a figure of what you may be entitled to

Thanks - that was interesting.

My results were

"Based on the information you have provided, you are not affected by the benefit cap."

 

It doesn't affect the benefits so the OP is really asking about changes to payments towards mortgage interest

err yes...but mortgage interest payment is given as a means tested benefit...what they are asking is will my money go down for this? it will also affect their entitlement to CT...as will everyone with introduction of UC

Sorry I must have misunderstood the OP, by the wording of question 1 I had assumed that the son's earnings definitely did affect the mortgage payments and they were asking why rather than as you say, they are asking if the mortgage payment will be affected.

Sorry if I've confused anyone. At the moment my son's earnings aren't taken into account for either council tax or mortgage interest because my husband is on DLA. I'm trying to find out if this has changed, because of the letter they've sent us.

 

original poster...i would send them a copy of his employment contract with hours and payment...dont worry too much about overtime payment as this is so variable....does the form ask anything about overtime worked? if not you could either mention it or estimate over time....

The contract is a good idea, I hadn't thought of that, thanks. The form is a very simple one - is he working 16 hours or more? If so how much does he earn? If not....etc etc.