HB help

A question about : HB help

Please could I have some advice for the below.

I am currently living with ex partner but need to move out and find another property for myself and my child (under 3 yrs old) I am told I can claim housing benefit for my new property, is this right? Also, I think I would be entitled to tax credits etc, do I have to wait until I move out until I can claim as a single parent or can I claim whilst still under the same roof?

I work full time and earn just under Ј20,000 a year, I also pay Ј600 a month child care costs.

many thanks

Best answers:

• Do you own or rent your current property? You can claim HB (now called LHA for private rentals), but your entitlement would depend on what rate you are entitled to (you would receive the two bed rate for your area).
  You can claim CTC whilst living with your ex, but be aware that HMRC may ask a lot of questions about your living arrangements.
• Dear LauraLou1982,
  We would like to inform you that in order to apply for Housing Benefit, you must live in the rented accommodation for which you are claiming.You can only get this benefit if you are responsible for paying the rent for your home.
  If you have two houses or you are temporarily away from home, it would depend on the circumstances if you are able to get Housing Benefit. If you have more than Ј16,000 in capital, you will not get any Housing Benefit. Moreover, if you have capital of over Ј6,000, you will be assumed to have some income from that capital.
  If you are not getting benefits, Housing Benefit may cover all or part of your rent. There are also certain types of income that are ignored when working out how much housing benefit you should get, for example child maintenance.
  If you pay rent to a private landlord, the rent your Housing Benefit can cover will normally be restricted to an amount set by a rent officer. However, if you pay rent to a local authority, your Housing Benefit will not be restricted in this way. If you pay rent to the housing association, your Housing Benefit will not normally be restricted in this way, unless the local authority thinks your accommodation is larger than you need, or your rent is unreasonably high.
  The Local Housing Allowance is based on rent prices for the area you live in and the number of rooms Housing Benefit rules say are needed for your household. This may not be the same number of rooms you are actually living in.
  You may find the amount of Housing Benefit you are entitled to won't cover all your rent. If this is the case, you may have to make up the difference out of any other income you have, or find cheaper accommodation.
  If you are thinking of moving into private rented accommodation, or of moving into another area, you can find out how much rent Housing Benefit will cover where you want to live. You can ask the local authority's Housing Benefit office to tell you which Local Housing Allowance Figure will be used to calculate your Housing Benefit or you can look on the Directgov website at www.direct.gov.uk.
  To find out more details about how Housing Benefit is calculated, you should consult an experienced adviser, for instance, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB.
  Furthermore, you may find further information on the website: https://www.adviceguide.org.uk/englan...ousing_benefit
• Lovely thanks for that, very helpful.
  In regards to the tax credits, I have sent off a single claim form now. I called today to check progress as its been a while and the lady I spoke to said it was being processed and was being checked by a 'specialist team'. I didnt think to ask what she meant so i had to call back again (after thinking about it for a few minutes and realising what she said) and I got a nice gentleman who said he didnt know why it was being checked but it may be that they ae checking my childcare stuff is correct, then I mentioned that I am still living in the same house as my partner and he said it might be that, and they may be checking that we are not 'fiancially tied'? Can you explain what this means please? We rent but my name isnt on the rental agreement nor on any bills etc I dont think...am worried now, depending on that money now as a single mum and dont want it to take months or them decline!
  Many thanks
• Sorry to bump this back to the top but is there anyone who can help? I have now had a letter asking for written proof that we are legally seperating...we were never legally together though, we were not married, we didnt buy a house, we didnt have any joint accounts...the compliance person looking into my case has requested this written proof and also gave me a number to call her on if I have any questions but the numebr doesnt connect...when I called the general line the lady I spoke to said sometimes they are so busy they just turn off the lines and the best idea was to send the documents in...I said I didnt have any to send and she said just send a letter saying that, I am not being funny though but it took them a week from me sending my application to them saying they have recieved it and I really would like to speed this up, I just need to know the outcome so I can plan for whatever the outcome is!
  Can anyone help me?
  Thanks
• Sorry, I still havent had a reply and its quite urgent, is there some vital point I am missing and thats why I am not getting a response?
  Thanks, Laura