Help with housing benefit

A question about : Help with housing benefit

This thread is for people wanting to start getting help with housing benefit. You may be able to get housing benefit if you're on other benefits, work part-time or work full-time on a low income.

Our advisers from Wyre Forest CAB Services are here to help you with your individual questions. Post your queries to this thread and a CAB representative will aim to answer your question within 2 working days.

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Best answers:

• Hi, I am on JSA but I have found some 'part-time' work however the working times are quite inconsistent each week and depends if there is any work available or not. I will probably sign off and still claim housing benefit if that is possible, as I will be always working under 16 hours per week, earning minimum wage.
  Now I talked to the housing office and she told me I have to fill out how many hours I will be doing (and with a forecast of two months). But, I don't know exactly how many hours it will be each week! Most jobs are on a 'first-come-first-serve' basis and what is available.. so how can I fill out the forms, and how can my employer fill out the forms?
  Best, C
• I have a quick question about housing benefit if anyone can help?
  I may be starting a new job soon (fingers crossed) - is there an agency I can go to or a tool I can use to find out how much, if any HB I will be entitled to whilst in new job? My lone parent advisor at the job centre used to calculate during a better off in work calculation but a friend in the same circumstances as me has been told by job centre they won't do this anymore for housing benefit and so she is simply waiting to find out how much or nothing when her new claim award comes through.
  I would prefer to know so I can calculate my finances and be sure I can manage before starting a new job. Is this possible?
• My neighbour has been renting her flat, and has been in receipt of housing benefit, since 2004. She is now on JSA though she used to be on WTC, unfortunately she lost her job. Her landlord bumped the rent up by Ј100 a month a bit over a year ago, and she's having to try and meet top-up payments of Ј28 a week out of her JSA, which as you can imagine is difficult, not least because the Job Centre are also taking Ј15 a week for a crisis loan she had a while ago. The poor woman is so thin!
  I came across this information on DirectGov:
  https://www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytax...me/dg_10018928
  Quote:
• Hello
  I am single, over 21 and with non-dependents. The thing is, I want to sign off JSA!
  Can you please explain the term 'disregard' in relation to tye numbers (Ј5??) as well please, dear advisor?
  So even though I have found some part time work, it is still advisable to contine signing on? If I do not earn much, what do I have to pay else other than NI contributions? I thought that will be deducted from my wage or do i have to pay them separately? Am I also exempt from council tax?
  I am desperately trying to find some more stable part time work, will it be such a problem if it is not full time work (which i cant find at the moment)
  Best, c
• No you won't have to pay national insurance at that wage level- that's good for your pocket now but bad (potentially) for your pension. When you don't earn enough to eiher pay NI or be 'credited' with paying NI through work you should see if you can get NI credits from somewhere else. in your case you can get them from signing on. I can't view the thread whilst posting but Ј5 disregard means that any benefits which take into account how much you are earning will ignore Ј5 of those earnings - pretend you are getting Ј5 less than you are really paid. You are not exempt from getting a council tax bill but because of low earnings you should get council tax benefit to pay some or all of it.
  Finding part time work is a fantastic thing to do for your future prospects and it's not a problem financially - you will not be worse off if you access all the help you could get. You need to still sign on to make sure you get the most support financially now and when you retire. What you choose to do is up to you of course- this isn't advice just info to look into.
• Hi
  I have moved into this council flat about a year ago. There are 2 bedrooms, one is for me and another is for the landlord. He is away most of the time, only come back around every few months. I was under impression this flat was bought my the landlord when I first moved in, then soon I was awared by the neighbours that this flat is actually rented by my landlord from the council, and the amount of rent I am paying my landlord per month is in fact exactly the same amount that council charges my landlord everymonth.Since I had been busy and never got chance to talk my landlord(he is away all the time), until the other day, a lady from housing office came wanted to talk to my landlord, left a letter. The letter ( I had permission from my landlord to open the letter) basically pointed out that they had found out that I am the one living in the flat rather than my landlord. I told him about the letter and asked for explaination, he then told to me I am just a "lodger" here rather than a tenant, which means whatever he did is legal and resonable. What makes me very confused is the contract I signed with him was a "tenant agreement", I was signed as a tenant; also I am paying rent for the whole flat. Now he is asking for my next month's rent, shall I pay him or not? I feel that I had been used in this situation, since clearly he is just playing with the concept "lodger". What shall I do about this?
  Thanks for reading this long story =) Please do advice me what to do next.
• Hi there,
  I was recently made redundant from a part time job, finished a full time degree course, and I now need to apply for JSA and housing benefit. I am a tennant in a house share with one other person, in a 3 bedroomed property. I pay X amount per month which includes all bills, and I have had trouble getting any confirmation of my redundancy. Do I need that in order to apply for housing benefit?
• I am in my late 30's unable to hold down even a part time job due to mental health problems following a road traffic accident, I have savings just over 16,000.00 from when I was able to work full time so this takes me over the savings amount for housing benefit.
  I have been living on my parents sofa for a number of years since I became ill and am desperate to move out as it is making my health worse.
  I receive incapacity benefit, nothing else so could possibly afford to cover rent but would have no money coming in for household bills, gas, water, electric, food etc.
  I haven't been able to work in eight years and can't afford to loose the only money I have been able to save through my life as it was from a time when my health was ok and will never be able to save that sort of money again.
  Is there any help anywhere I can get as I am feeling really trapped and depressed at the moment.
  Thanks
• I am a single working (full time) male for your information. This actually is a generic benefit enquiry that I may post in other areas asking for advice.
  It has almost been agreed that my son, aged 11 will come and live with me when and if I find a suitable property that will house both of us. Currently it is not possible for him to come and live with me as I am living in a rented room.
  I have middle rate DLA, and my son is in receipt of the middle rate care and lower rate DLA.
  I have had a benefit check if the above situation happens and it appears it is possible to rent privately with LHA supporting my income. Working/Child Tax Credits will also help.
  However, my issue is that he may be going to a specialist school from September (Year 7). I am wondering how it would affect his DLA and my Tax Credit as well as my Housing Benefits? He may be coming home every weekend as that is the reason he is coming to live with me, as he needs a father figure to discipline him and teach him life skills (his mother is on benefits and I am only thinking he is becoming too smart to cave in to her and answers back). His mother is not able to cope with 3 other young children (only two of the four are mine).
• Here are my questions
• How will my WTC/CTC be affected?
• How will his DLA be affected?
• How will my Housing Benefit be affected?
• Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Finally, how do I start with informing my council (which is a different council) to agree to my son to go to the specialist school which the other borough have already agreed to do? What is the process and how do I start if we decided to go ahead.
Many thanks
A