To not know what to do regarding housing

[Magicra84]

I was furloughed in march, followed by a recent redundancy and then I was informed my landlord was selling up so I have to move.

I have been applying for jobs, anything and everything but there are 300+ applicants for each one.

In the meantime I will claim UC. I was really worrying about what I will do for housing but an agency who is taking care of the sale of the house saw I kept really good care of it and has offered to take me on, on housing benefit for a property they have to let.

After everything that's happened my mind is a mess. I have two options and I can't decide what to do. I've done benefit calculators online which say as a single adult without any dependants, I'll get around £800 a month. That seems a lot. Is that normal?

Option one is to take the property. I'll have about £300 left each month for food, toiletries and travel expenses etc.

Option two is to move back with my mother which I'm not keen on at all. I'm used to my own space and I know I'll find this really hard but not only is she pressurising me to go back, but she's saying pretty much I won't survive on UC and paying bills etc.

I really don't know what to do.

Take the property the agency are offering. Without a doubt. Yes money will be very tight but you could get work at any point so it won’t be forever.

Take the property. It's a no-brainer.

Take the house, worst comes to worst and you can’t manage, that’s when you move back in with your mother.

Take the house. Your situation will improve.

Thank you for your replies. I think I have my answer. Is around £800 normal on UC? I was really not expecting it to be so high.

Take the house, it's a great deal, your own space and you can survive on UC. You could get a job any time

Make your uc claim now and see?

@Waveysnail the benefit office won't help me until I'm officially unemployed but the first day of my unemployment I can ring and they can advance a payment to me.

Op I think that there is a temporary increase in UC until March next year which for me works out at about an extra £20 per week. The amount I get is just shy of £800. That £800 is for everything including council tax which should be waived /minimal for a single person.

How much is your rent going to be? Exactly what do you have to pay for out of the £800?

My heart wants to go for the apartment but I've heard that UC is paid in arrears and because I've already been paid by my current employer til 20th August, I don't know when I'll get my first payment of UC.

The agency will know about things like this surely? (That UC can be late etc). I'd take it if I were you. A good tenant is worth having.

Uc takes into account the rent so if you lived with your mother you would get far less, under £400

I am a good tenant and hopefully the landlord won't mind the few months being a bit uncertain til everything is ok.

Please let us know how you get on. If agency know you're on UC, they wouldn't have mentioned it. How I know this I do not know. Just feeling confident for you!

@Guardsman18 I will let you know! It would solve all my problems this apartment. I'll see what happens!

Good luck x

Single person, age 25+,with no dependents will got £409.89 as the basics. You’d then be entitled to housing costs up to the LHA for your age and area lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/

If you have savings over £6000 then your UC payment will be reduced and over £16000 means you would not qualify.