Can I go on benefits

[Hawaii33]

And private rent? I've got my name on a mortgage which I paid into for 8 years and haven't for the last 7 due to having children. My ex pays for everything now and has his head completely in the sand and wants us to carry on living in the same house.

I feel unhappy and like I can't be q good mum. Plus I'm in a new relationship and I'm sick of the inconsistencies and feeling like I can't enjoy things my way.

My ex leaves the house an absolute tip if I leave the house for a night or 2. I hate it.

In regards to working I'm awaiting surgeries and biopsies. I often end up in hospital due to extreme blood loss and until that's sorted I can't go to work. I hope everything will be sorting by the time my youngest goes to school in September then I'll happily work.

Does anyone know whether I could claim benefits and leave the house?

You can claim UC and provide a fit note.

I private rent and claim benefits, including child, housing and personal elements of universal credit. My house element entitlement is £50 less than my rent so I need to cover that.

I don't (think) you can claim housing benefit if your name is on the mortgage. Last I knew you could claim benefits whilst living with your ex. As your separated whilst living in the same house but living separate lives.

I think you (might ) Need to remove yourself from the mortgage in order to claim housing benefit when you move . Do you have the first month's rent and deposit. Its extremely difficult (but not impossible) to private rent when on benefits. as alot of landlords can't/won't take people on benefits. unless have a guarantors and then it's still difficult.

You also need to be careful with the LHA. Do you have children? I'm guessing your over 35 but if not and you have no children you would only be entitled to a room.

Womens Aid have lots of advice. Have a look on their website as there should be info there.

You shouldn’t have to stay with an ex if you don’t want to.

If you have a house with your name on the deeds thst you don't live in then tegardless of whether you pay to the mortgage or not you won't get housing benefit on a property you are renting

I have experience of this
If you're named on a mortgage, you can't claim the housing element but can claim benefits with a fit note

Sorry I’ve just realised your name is on the mortgage. ( I’m really tired)

You can claim UC and also request the housing element and council tax support as long as you are taking steps to realise your asset in the house you have an interest in. This includes seeing a solicitor, taking legal action to get your share/ agreement to put house up for sale.

It’ll go to a Decision maker. Usually you’ll get 26 weeks initially to start this process and you then need to prove what you are doing.

Any eventual capital will be treated as capital. However proceeds from sale of a house can be disregarded for 26wks , sometimes longer whilst you buy a new property if it is held in separate account. Once you draw on shy of that capital it starts being seen as capital.

You could get a shared ownership property with those proceeds but you’d need to be able to secure a mortgage. And if not working this is where you’ll struggle.

I might have got some of the 26/52wks periods wrong as it’s been ages since I’ve done this type of decision but it’s all online to see.

I would add her though that you may struggle to get a private rental on benefits (as the landlord may not want to accept them). It will be easier if you have a guarantor.

The problem as a pp said is possibly having an asset in the form of your mortgaged home.

There are exceptions but it's complicated.

Best advice I can give you is speak to your local welfare rights office (if you can get hold of them I'm currently having a nightmare getting hold of mine!) they are generally very clued up on such things especially local backlogs etc

They're usually part of the social services dept (simply as people with ss involvement often need help with this kind of thing, whether it be due to dv or disabled relatives or whatever) in your local council.

There are also calculators online but they tend not to be very accurate when there are complicating factors

@CornishTiger advice seems to be pretty good (I'm not an expert merely a claimant myself of many years but I don't own)