UC entitlement while seperated but living together

[CQ2020]

I have a problem I wonder if any of you can advise on..
Me & SBTX still living in same house (not sharing room, meals) whilst we navigate sorting out the finances and child care going forwards (prob 50/50). He hopes to buy me out.
I need to find a house for me and the kids but i can't get anywhere unless i use a mortgage provider who accepts benefits as well as salary. My mortgage advisor will help with this BUT they need to see at least one months bank statement showing the Universal Credit hitting my account before they will allow me to use it.
How does the situation lie with me claiming this as a single person but still living in the same house?
Catch 22 as until i get a mortgage i can't move out - i don't want to upheave the poor kids into rented then all over again in a few months when I buy. Until I show benefits in my account I can't get a mortgage!
Can i claim UC while living in same house as STBX as long as we are living separate lives??

Yes. I rang the CAB and you absolutely can do this. But any savings you have in your name over £6k will result in a small deduction on a sliding scale to £16k (I think it's 16.) You can't do each other's washing, cooking or shopping or sleep in same bed. They do have a 5 week assessment period tho.

I have no savings...so that helps.
Do you mean 5 weeks is the time it takes to assess if I am eligible?

I think different rules apply if you are married rather than cohabitating. Married allows you to claim. Unmarried doesn’t.

You might want to check.

Yes 5 weeks while they see how much hits your bank account in that time which helps them calculate how much you get for the following month. UC can change all the time dependent on that.

Once your house sells there's a small window of time when you can have the proceeds in your bank account before you buy without it affecting UC. Think its only a few months tho - CAB officer needed to double check.
CAB were really lovely and helpful.