If I leave my dh

[bubbleOseven]

and move into a rented property, how long does it take for me to receive housing benefit.

I can pay the first months rent and the deposit. Will the hb arrive in time to meet the subsequent rental payments.

I've been saving up for ages to leave - just wanna go now.

i left one month ago and have just paid my second lot of rent and got HB at same time, it might be worth getting the forms and getting all the info they need so you can apply asap and then keep ringing.

good luck, leaving was the best thing for me.

thank you belleshell - i was beginning to think the lone parents section was cliquey so i'm grateful for your reply.

So i'm assuming you can't claim in advance but can you put your claim in on the day you move, is that allowed? And is it backdated.

If youve the first months rent, hb should of started by the next month.

and it can be backdated. x good luck

Yes, that's correct. Keep hassling them about it too if it's taking a while.

BTW, it's not that it's cliquey on here particularly it's just the section isn't that active so can take longer to get a reply. :)

They investigated me for benefit fraud when I first claimed so it was 10 weeks before I got any money. That was extreme circumstances though, most people seem to get it before the second rent is due.

thanks everyone, i've just done a search on and seen lots of threads here on housing benefit so will look through them later.

Congratulations btw on leaving, belleshell - how's it going so far. I'd be grateful for any tips on how to make the practicalities easier.

bubbleo..When i've rented, landlords are usually quite sympathetic ,if they're o.k with housing ben they know how long it can take..

But if you make sure you've got copy of lease/
tenancy details etc right from the word go, it'll speed up the process..
Am not sure what the council requires these days paperworkwise, but it might be a good idea to find out beforehand.

Good luck

hi bubbleoseven

its going really well, dont get me wrong i have bad days mainly to do with kids throwing wobblies but i understand they are going through a rough time too. i have found not denying access to see their dad when they are with me been very beneficial and visa versa. i am lucky in the fact that even though i chose to leave and hubby was devastated and blames me for everything, even though the reason i left was we just changed both of us and wanted different things from life, making sure the kids come 1st as worked so far for us.

im not sure what your circumstances are but if you ever need to go over things i will be about somewhere.

as for HB get everything together before you move and submit on the day u move, it will be back dated and its nice to have 2 months worth of HB in one lump sum. Have u applied for working tax credits too, also fill the form in ensuring u have got plenty of time to do it.

finally last piece of advice make sure you have a bottle opener packed for the move ;)

good luck with it all.

xx