I’m not missing something here am I? Universal credit, renting and saving for a deposit.

[tiredconfusedhungry]

Keeping it a bit vague. I’m separated, STBXH and I were looking at figures last night and we’re not going to come out with much to put towards a deposit. We’re looking at around £15k each, I’d need a deposit of around £60k - £70k and that’s to buy a 2 bed house.

We’re in the South East and house prices here are high, rent is high. We’re already in the ‘cheaper’ part, moving further away from where we are puts us in prime commuting land and would be more expensive.

Anyway, it’s likely I will end up renting and saving for a bigger deposit. I did a calculation on entitled to (based on no savings) and I could get some help with rent, which is great. It means I could save some money each month and then hopefully buy after about 4 years.

But now I’ve looked into it further, if you have more than £16k in savings you aren’t entitled to any help. Which I do understand, but it then means that after all essential bills and costs are covered, I’d have about £200 left a month. Which doesn’t go far with 2 kids and certainly wouldn’t leave me anything to save.

So essentially I’m never going to be able to save a deposit am I?

I'd like to see the actual proportion of how much housing benefit has ultimately funded the payment of other people's mortgages, in comparison to rent paid without HB.

Once DC are adults, why would OP need to continue claiming "hundred of thousands" in UC? OP obviously works and earns enough to consider taking a mortgage. Surely most single working adults with no minor children are expected to work and support themselves, or are you suggesting that OP should give up work and just go on benefits to spite the taxpayer? DC2 is on a min wage job and rents with a friend, neither is eligible to claim anything, not sure why you think OP should be? UC will be a short term issue while OP has DC who are children and require support; it's not a taxpayer-funded "hundreds of thousands" top up for all working adults FFS.

Why do you think you would be entitled to claim UC for the rest of your life? DC2 is on a min wage job and can't claim any top ups. Once your DC are adults, you will be expected to support yourself and spend your money accordingly. Why on earth would you think otherwise? While you have children, taxpayers will quite rightly give you the financial assistance you need, but once they are independent adults why do you think that my son's taxes should pay for your rent while he earns less and gets no assistance? Give your head a wobble.

Bad wording, that’s all. I just meant for a long period of time.

Are you actually suggesting benefit fraud?

Have you even read the thread? I’m not ‘expecting’ anyone to pay anything for me. I’ve worked all my life, like most people have. I’ve done three jobs at once to save a house deposit and then life throws you a bit of shit and things change. I never imagined having to sell the house I spent years working for, renovating and loving, only to have to leave it.

I was simply expressing frustration with the system, which a lot of people have agreed, is wrong. Someone earning a decent wage, who has (hypothetically) got £15k deposit should be able to buy somewhere secure and not need support from the govt.

The fact that once that money is used supporting myself and my children (rightly so) I would have no way of getting myself out of that system. Once my children are grown and no longer live with me, I’d be in no better position potentially than I am now. If I can get a higher paying job, then it might be different. But there are a lot of what ifs in this scenario.

A quick look on Rightmove shows around 20 flats and houses in your area for less than £150k. Parkhomes are considerably cheaper, and you wouldn't need a massive mortgage either.

Move somewhere where you can get more affordable housing, that’s the only thing you can do

I’ve already explored that. I’m in the cheapest part of Kent already. If I move anywhere within a hour of where I am now, it’s more expensive (closer to London). Plus my kids would have to move school and I would have no support network who currently provide free/flexible childcare around my job. Plus my job is a visiting role near where I live. It’s not as easy to just up and move to a cheaper area sometimes.

I don't know if things are the same in your area, or how funding etc works now but I have a close friend who was a single parent to 3 young DC about ten years ago. She went to uni to study social work, and was offered so many bursaries and top ups that she saved a house deposit of around £60k over the three years, and once she qualified was able to get a mortgage and buy. It might be something you could consider, realistically. Don't just dismiss the degree route - it will be hard work and lots of juggling, but you'll come out of it in potentially a far better position than you are in now.

Having young DC is only a temporary situation. Once DC are adults, OP will have to support herself as every other working adult does - there is no lifelong entitlement to UC, so this idea of claiming through life and in to retirement is nonsense.

Why do you think any working adult will be entitled to benefits/help with rent for the rest of their lives? DC will be adults in >18 years, and OP will be a single working adult like millions of others. She'll only be entitled to benefits while DC are minors, unless she has a debilitating health condition which she has not indicated.

If a divorce is definite, sell the house, get a clean break - you should get more than 50:50 on marital assets including pensions. I would consider moving in with the parents for a year or two to save up (even if it's uncomfortable/squashed - needs must!). If it's amicable enough for you to even stay living together (wouldn't for me!), it'll take longer for the clean break.

Sorry @Miley23, I misread your post and we're actually in agreement 😊

The cost of a property isn’t the only consideration - park homes are often not on bus routes so getting to school/activities etc.
I’m also not sure that OP needs 2 bedrooms, if her DC are a boy and a girl she’ll need three eventually, if not now.

That’s what I said, it’s your only option. If you can’t do that, then you’re going to be stuck renting unfortunately

But the prices you quoted for rent and for purchase are way above the prices of the cheapest 2 bed homes to rent or to buy in Thanet, where you say you live.

Knowing Thanet well, all areas of Thanet are geographically accessible to each other so no need to change schools or jobs to move to a different, less expensive part of Thanet.

If you look at places like Ramsgate or Margate you could easily afford to rent or buy, without UC help, at the lower end of the range. For example, lost of 2 bed flats at around £100k, which with your £15k deposit and £27k income would be really quite affordable.

If you don't want to live at the lower end of the property price range, then you need to earn more or save more, but you can't really expect tax payers to subsidise you so that you can save up to buy a more expensive flat that the one that you can afford based on your savings and your earnings!

You can claim UC without kids and without health conditions even if you work. It depends on how much your standard element and housing element are. You then have wage deductions. Many single adults in full time employment get a UC top up until they reach state pension age. Someone has to do the minimum wage jobs to keep the country going. Minimum wage isn’t always enough to live on, so people need a top up

She will need a three bedroom property as her children get older though. How much are they?

It cut's the benefits bill but really just shifts the costs elsewhere; the taxpayer is still paying to house the occupant. The only difference is that any "profit" is going to council bosses' wages rather than private LL.

It’s all hypothetical and I picked figures out of thin air. I hadn’t looked at it in very much detail (I have now) so yes there are options around.

She said 2 bed in her OP.

Are you really saying that tax payers should pay so that her children (of ages and sexes unknown) don't have to share? Many, many home owners have two children sharing a room.

And a single person with 2 children could easily manage in a 2 bed flat. If she has a boy and a girl, she can turn the living room into a third bedroom space once they are old enough to need a space each if she hasn't managed to save or get promotions to afford to more up the property ladder herself by then.

Thankfully we don't all live in the south.

The taxpayer only supports full time working adults who have children or health issues. Single full time working adults on minimum wage don't get their wages topped up by the taxpayer. It's entirely wonderful that taxpayers support lower paid parents to bring up their children, but it would be appalling for taxpayers to have to support independent adults in their normal lives.

No one "needs" 3 bed properties? It's preferable - yes, but like millions of families who can't afford it, you make do with 2 beds or even 1 bed properties where you sleep in the living room sofabed or carve up the bedroom with a bunkbed. These aren't necessarily the cheapest option if the location is prime. There are options here. OP will definitely get more than 50:50 in the allocation of marital assets so will likely than not, receive more than £15K of house equity.