2 or 3 bed & LHA qualification

[Dillie]

I am totally confused!!

According to the LHA website, I am entitled to a 2 bed property (myself and my daughter) but I would ideally like to move into a 3 bed property to give us more space and an office/study for me so I can work at home, without having to use the dining room!

Also would be great for a guest room as my parents live 200 miles away, so somewhere to put them up would be hugely helpful.

Now the question I have is; would I lose out on the benefit if I moved into the 3 bed property or would I still get it all be it at the 2 bed rate?

I worked out on the entilted to website the value, and while it isnt a huge amount, every little helps

Cheers

i doubt you'd get either a 3 bed house or extra housing benefit on it if you did get it!!

is it points/band system?

Yes - you'll get the 2 bed rate no matter what size house you rent - if you had the extra money to "top up" for a 6 bedroom house you could if you wanted to.

Thanks reality, that made sense

Fortuntately i have an ok job with ok money, so can cover the extra rent. Where I live the difference between a 2 bed and 3 bed is around £50 - £75pcm so I would obviously like to go for the extra room if at all possible

I currently live in a mortgage property with my husband .. but I need to move out and taking dd with me but that is a totally different story!

Some fun times ahead me thinks!

Dillie - is your name on the mortgage - as you can't get housing benefit (LHA) if you "own" a home. (well you can in exceptional circumstances - but as H and I are discovering it's very very hard to get)

Ah bollocks .. yes it is. Well joint owned anyway.

So i assume that I would have to get husbands sole name on the mortgage, before i can even think about LHA?

Jees .. why cant they make these things simple! lol!

But then again, less paperwork to fill in

oh sorry!! thought LHA was for housing association properties!!

yep that's it basically I'm afraid.

As I say they can give LHA in exceptional circumstances - but it's very VERY hard to get them to do. We have the opposite problem here at the moment, hoping (fingers crossed) that H will get LHA on medical grounds so that I can stay here with the DS's. The house is mortgaged - but only in his name.........but he's willing to move out, so we can stay here.

I tell yo uwhat's more infuriating - is that I won't get any help with housing costs (no LHA as it's his house, and no mortgage relief because my name isn't on the mortgage) so will be paying the (thankfully recently reduced) mortgage out of my CTC, IS, CB etc, he only needs LHA for a 1 bedroom place.

In terms of cost to the taxpayer/council/government (whoever LOL) it's a LOT cheaper to house him and pay his rent than it is for me to move out of here - as they'd then be paying full HB for a 3 bedroom house and his mortgage interest relief for here

sorry slight thread hijack - Tiffany - did that thread of mine get any worse after I hid it the other day???

I haven't dared go back to look

lol.....no,will check for you now,but i don't think it kicked off!!

urgh ... and i thought my situation was complicated!

So then, turning the situation on its head .. if I can afford the mortgage (which i think i can, even though the fixed term runs out in July prays for still low interest rates ) what is this mortgage interest relief?

I am just thinking to save upsetting my dh further than she needs to be, i could turf my H out (he earns good money so no worries there) and keep the house.

Also at the moment the mortgage is less than rental prices!

The only problem is that on my wage, I wouldnt meet the earning criteria to remortgage (for a new rate etc) so dont know if i could even think about being sole owner iyswim

I think I may need to move this post into the legal section in a bit lol!!!

no,there was one post after you left,just to say 'be careful'. dont let it put you off posting more tho...be good to hear how you're getting on,you always seem humourous about it!

sorry for hijack op!

Dillie - lol I know life is always interesting round here. Mortgage interest relief is paid (after 13 weeks) if you're on income support or Job seekers (or ESA), it pays the interest o the mortgage up to ermm can't remember what amount - used to be 100k of mortgage but think it went up recently.

I'd say you need to ask about the mortgage stuff in the legal section

Tiff - phew glad it didn't kick off - posted a much more positive thread last night about H and I. Think we turned a corner last night so feeling much more positive (and confirmation that his "bravado" about not leaving/it's "his" house and all that - was just that - bravado in the heat of the debate as I suspected). (sorry for hi-jacking again)

hehe no worries :D just glad of people that are in similar(ish) situations .. does help knowing your not on your own lol!