Worried about losing house

[phil76]

Hi everyone,my mum is worried about losing the house because she's recently split with my dad.we have a 4 bedroom house which we've had for over 20 years and us kids have grown up and left in that time.

 

So mum and dad have been in the house but if dad leaves it will only be mum there,will housing association take house from her because it's too big for her? She has no rent arrears or anything,she wants to keep house and willing to pay bedroom tax for spare rooms

 

Thanks

[Consumer dude]

They may ask her to move to a smaller place however if she has a secure tenancy, it may prove more difficult to force that on her. (in my opinion)..

[smokiejoe]

Don't think they can force her to downsize or change the contract terms of a Housing Association property at this time. As far as I'm aware, it was new council house tenancies that were affected.

 

If your mum gets help towards housing costs, she may have to update information with them and could find she has to pay more from her own pocket.

[phil76]

They may ask her to move to a smaller place however if she has a secure tenancy, it may prove more difficult to force that on her. (in my opinion)..

 

Thank you so much,is there anyway to find out if she has secure tenancy?

[phil76]

Don't think they can force her to downsize or change the contract terms of a Housing Association property at this time. As far as I'm aware, it was new council house tenancies that were affected.

 

If your mum gets help towards housing costs, she may have to update information with them and could find she has to pay more from her own pocket.

 

Thank you smokiejoe

[Laura Thyme]

If you've had the house for over 20 years, she won't be forced to move out. Some local authorities may offer financial incentives to move to a smaller property. If she claims housing benefit, she would be hit by the so-called "bedroom tax", which is not a tax at all, it means she won't get enough HB to cover the full rent.

[phil76]

If you've had the house for over 20 years, she won't be forced to move out. Some local authorities may offer financial incentives to move to a smaller property. If she claims housing benefit, she would be hit by the so-called "bedroom tax", which is not a tax at all, it means she won't get enough HB to cover the full rent.

 

Thank you so much Laura,she claims housing benefit so has to pay bedroom tax,if I wanted to move back in with her would this affect housing benefit further or would it stay the same because she pays bedroom tax anyway?

[Laura Thyme]

Thank you so much Laura,she claims housing benefit so has to pay bedroom tax,if I wanted to move back in with her would this affect housing benefit further or would it stay the same because she pays bedroom tax anyway?

As I said, it's not a tax she pays, she has to find the money to pay the difference between the HB and the actual rent.

 

Normally a single person is only allowed one bedroom, if you moved in, she should be allowed two bedrooms and she should get more HB, however, if you work or have an income of your own and move in with her, your income may affect the HB entitlement.

[martin2006]

You moving in and earning a wage will also stop her single persons allowance in relation to council tax.

[phil76]

You moving in and earning a wage will also stop her single persons allowance in relation to council tax.

 

I currently receive esa for depression/anxiety so will this affect her HB?

[martin2006]

It will inevitably have some effect on HB, best to try one of the online benefits calculators with the new scenario to see what will change.

 

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

[indistress]

Hi. My parents separated and my mam stayed in the house.

She lives in a 3 bedroom house. My sister did live with her but has since moved out. When my sister lived there the council needed to know how much her wages were and my mam needed to pay £60 rent as my sister lived at home. My sister has since moved out and my mam now pays bedroom tax. My mam also claims full HB