UC for housing when jointly own house

[THATchickennchipsbasicbitch]

Myself and childrens father have separated

We jointly own a house which now needs to be sold

However we cannot stay living together until then as the situation is not good

I have already been advised by UC to claim as a single person as he makes no financial contribution

As he will not leave the home i am looking at rentals for myself and the children, does anyone know if we may get any housing element to help with the rent from UC?

Yes you can - I do. You need to provide proof of everything. Proof of rental costs, income, bank statements, etc. Do the application online and they then ask you to attend an interview to provide ID etc. it overall took a few weeks so be prepared.
I actually checked with Citizens Advice first as I was worried like you. They provided me a figure so I knew what I would be entitled to roughly.
UC will then expect you after 6 months to actively progress divorce etc for settlement of the asset etc. You need to provide proof that you are trying to sell house etc