Housing benefit & private renting

[ivykaty44]

www.theguardian.com/society/2018/aug/29/low-income-tenants-face-heat-eat-or-pay-rent-choices-study

The combination of private LandLords and housing benefits not keeping up with sky high rents is going to put more and more people on the streets

In my area a council property 3 bedroom is £130 per week rental or s two bed house £87 per week

Private rents are rarely under £700 per week for s two bed house

There just aren’t enough social houses to rent and private ll charge massive rents, you can rarely rent unless two of you or earnings over £25k

What are people to do?

And yet after paying for the flat for God knows how long the young lad i mentioned will probably get the boot from the HA when/if his mother dies.

Nothing at all to stop this man from getting put on the tenancy as a joint tenant, then if his mother passes he will still have a tenancy

All non dependents living at home are expected to contribute to household rent, it’s set figures for wages, why would any 20 year old live for free whilst HB pays his or her rent if they are working and they don’t contribute?

I meant if you qualify for one bedroom in HA and have two you get one bedroom rate and bedroom tax deducted from that one bedroom rate. I wasnt aware it worked like that everywhere.

Privately you'd lose nothing from the one bedroom rate as the assumption is its already been applied.

Though that could be what you mean of course and I'm being thick!

If you are one person or a couple living in a two bedroom you’ll have housing benefit deduction at about £14,

So you'd lose £14 off the one bedroom rate of LHA in the case where HB is paid the same as LHA.

I hope I'm making sense. I feel I'm possibly not!

ivy of course he could contribute. But then we have people moaning about social housing tenants children and how they feel "entitled" to social housing too.

When this is a natural conclusion to the child of an ill tenant on benefits paying all the rent council tax etc if that adult child works a full time job Fair enough. But then ppl shouldnt moan about him needing social housing too and that he must have poverty of aspiration if hes just expecting to live in social housing. He can hardly save for a deposit if hes paying ALL rent and bills while maybe his friend with richer parents who have a mortgage can work a full time job and save a bit here and there while the former doesnt have a chance to do so.

Because a social housing tenants place is in the wrong

The thread i copied and pasted my post from.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3344791-Well-off-friend-in-council-house

@Becca19962014 Sorry, been away on the annual school uniform hunt . I know it wasn't a dig .

@ivykaty44 i rent a flat out. As per my buy to let mortgage i have to charge at least 150% of my mortgage payment and i'm not allowed to let it to tenants on benefits.

If i could i would. I haven't upped my rent in 3 years as i don't need to and my tenants are lovely and i would like thrm to stay as long as possible.

I live in Essex, lived in this town all my life, my mother still lives in her housing association property. A large 3 bed, next to a station 30 minutes from London... Pays £500 a month rent
I live 5 minutes up the road in a teeny tiny 3 bed private rental. I pay £1200 a month.

How is that fair?

faggots I hope your hunt was successful and am glad you knew it wasn't a dig - you can't always tell how someone will take what's written online!

@Lazypuppy what happens if your tenants apply for HB and start receiving this benefit? Under data protection you have no right to know or be told...

ivy that must vary.

My council insist you sign to say they can confirm/discuss tenancy with your landlord. If you refuse they won't allow you to claim. I know other areas do the same as on another forum I'm on this has come up and the person served notice to quit.

Just having a tenancy as proof isn't always enough now.

So lazy could find out that way.

Becca it's against the law and GDPR, there is no way you wouldn't be allowed HB if you don't say yes and it would stand in court either. With UC it will be the same, unlawful tofirce you to give permission

@ivykaty44

@Lazypuppywhat happens if your tenants apply for HB and start receiving this benefit? Under data protection you have no right to know or be told...

I have a clause in my tenancy agreement that says the tenants must inform me if their income channels change (its up to them whether they tell me). If they fail to notify me, and it comes to light I have the right to give them notice to leave. as long as i've done everything possible to ensure no benefits, my mortgage company are happy.

Like i said, i have no issue renting to people on benefits as long as the rent is paid on time every month, i'm just not allowed to.

That's what it says on the form, permission to contact landlord is essential for application. If it wouldn't out me then I'd link it. It's been updated since GDPR. I don't know how as I don't have an old form.

I don't live somewhere with CAB or shelter available to represent people so it's very unlikely to go challenged.

From another forum I know of someone who was told they must give permission or no money, all advice was to give permission which they did and were then evicted. Obviously I don't know the person though.

Take it to cab and seek their advice

If no cab then telephone shelter and contact you MP as this isn’t in HB legislation

It is your choice whether anyone else can talk about your claim as it comes under data protection

iC would also be interested but use the MP route first

They don't do telephone advice, I'd have to travel to another county to speak to someone which I'm not capable of doing. I'm not up to this right now but will bear it in mind re MP and AM (again both require me to travel, albeit less car, which I'm not well enough to do).

@Becca19962014 It sounds like you're going through the rings and I hope you get sorted soon. In my area bedroom tax is applied to those in social housing (HA & Council) receiving Housing Benefit. If you rent privately you receive Local Housing Allowance so you get the standard rate for your bedroom entitlement according to your income, you pay the difference if you can rent a bigger or more expensive house privately.

I've relayed it to someone else who said they'd look into it. I'm sure it sounds pathetic but I really cannot cope with doing so, so thankyou ivykaty for the advice.

Not pathetic at all, these things really aren't straightforward as they vary so much council to council.

I'd be so much easier if they didn't vary!!

It’s the same legislation set by the government for every council for HB & lctr

But your data comes under GDPR and no one can force you to share your data otherwise refuse to let you have benefit. The information commissioner can heavily fine any department for doing this. If it’s printed on the district councils benefit forms then proving this is easy and if they ignore a written complaint then just take it to the I C using your friend to do this
But complain first to the district so you have followed there complaints process

@ivykaty44 Yes, the legislation is the same but the support and accessing housing can vary wildly in areas which is what I meant. Such as some LA areas will offer a deposit scheme for people who find a private LL and some don't.