Does anyone have experience of claiming universal credit while owning a house but not living in it?
I'm currently trying to get my ducks in a row and preparing to leave my marriage. We own our house and ultimately this will either be sold or husband will buy me out, but in the short term i am struggling to figure out living arrangements.
Ideally I want to leave the family home (husbands hoarding is a contributing factor to the breakdown of the marriage). Renting in this area is expensive (nearly 3 times our current monthly mortgage for a similar house) and I have 3 children to house near to their current schools. I can afford the rent if I claim universal credit to top up my income (I am currently working). I understand that the family home can be disregarded as capital if I'm not living in it after the breakdown of a relationship, but this only lasts 6 months. I anticipate separation and divorce will take longer than this!
My question is, would I likely be able to continue to claim uc and disregard the property past this 6 months, if divorce proceedings are ongoing? I don't want to move in somewhere and 6 months down the line not be able to put food on the table because all my income goes straight to rent!
Any help or past experiences of this would be much appreciated, thank you!