Confused about how top up benefits work

[ej8888]

Can anyone help me to understand how top up benefits work?
I'm 52 and renting, but I may be left some money in inheritance and it may be enough to put a good downpayment on a mortgage, even though I am 52. At the moment I am renting with my 12 year old son and getting top up benefits, and I'm wondering whether I can get top up benefits if I were a homeowner, to pay for a mortgaged property in the same way that I do as a renter? I don't know if it's possible. It seems I would lose my top up benefits altogether between the moment I have over 16000 and the moment I buy a property and have 16000 or less.

Yes I believe that’s correct that you won’t be entitled to the same benefits if you have over £16k and they don’t pay for your mortgage payments like they do rent.

You would not be entitled to any housing benefit to pay off your mortgage but may get some small help to pay only the interest on your mortgage but if you have over £6000 in savings then your uc will be reduced by an increasing % until you get a zero awward at £16000 or above on savings.
If you cant afford to pay a mortgage without hb then you wont get 1 anyway

If you have a property and under £16,000, you might get some benefits. They don't pay your mortgage but UC allows an additional allowance amount if you don't claim for rent.

There is a way to claim a mortgage interest amount but I think you need to have zero income and there is also a long waiting period.

Your best option is to use something like entitledto or a similar website, to get some idea of what you may or may not be able to claim.