housing benefit

[dizzydoo16]

hi i receive esa suppoet group and enhanched mobility also housing benefit but pay bedroom tax as have 1 spare room if my daughter who will be on income support or universal credit with a child under 5 moves in with me how will it affect my housing benefit would i be better of making her joint tennent please

[nukecad]

A few things to consider as well as just the bedroom tax.

Is your ESA Contribution based, Income Related, or both?
In particular do you get the Severe DisabilityPremium on ESA (£65.85/week)? ie. Do you have Daily Living with the PIP and currently live alone?
If you do have SDP then your adult daughter moving in with you would then make you inelligible for SDP and that £65.85 would stop.

I'm not sure about that "Income Support or universal credit", you can't have both at the same time
Is she currently on IS?
If she was a joint tenant then you would each be liable for half the rent and so you should get half the rent as HB and she would have to claim her half as UC-housing element, which would migrate her IS to UC (along with any Child Tax Credits or other IR benefits she may currently get).
But that might be different if she currently gets HB herself from the same Local Authority that you do.

As a first step I would try using one of the online benefit calculators that you can find here:
https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators
I prefer the Entitledto one, (declaration- I had a small part in testing it to include UC in the past), but they should all give the same answers.
Answer the questions as if she and her son were already living with you and it will tell you what you should then be entited to claim.
(However they are not realy meant for changes of circumstances like this, they can't take account of every possible permutation of changes, so you may be better consulting an advice agency, see below).
You should be able to do it twice, once with just you being the tenant and then again with her as a joint tenant, so that you can compare the two results.

Alternatively go and talk to a local welfare advisor about your proposed living arrangements and how the change will affect both of your current benefits.
You can find local advisors by putting your postcode in here: https://advicelocal.uk/find-an-adviser

[jpucng62]

I really hate the term 'bedroom tax' - it is nothing of the sort and this is a very emotive term. It is a charge that the tenant has to pay because they are not entitled to tax payers money to pay for a bedroom which does not have an occupant.

I imagine this post may get me some abuse - but it is us, the tax payers, who pay LHA and we should only have to pay for what is required not what is wanted.

[theartfullodger]

I really hate the term 'bedroom tax' - it is nothing of the sort and this is a very emotive term..................

You'll hopefully be privileged not needing extra rooms for visitors, carers, equipment or partner who can't realistically share a room with you. If so, best wishes and lucky you: If not, best wishes & you have my sympathy. 'sfunny how the Government keeps losing test cases over this - see...

https://lmgtfy.com/?q=government+loses+bedroom+tax+case


How odd that Iain Duncan Smith, architect of so many welfare benefit "improvements" lived in a a free house with several spare bedrooms, yet thought it right to applying the financial thumb-screws to those less blessed.. See..
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...-smith-1794517

Best wishes to all

Artful: In receipt of 6 benefits, (...old...) thank you you lovely generous tax-payers you....

[jpucng62]

theartfullodger: If you need the room for equipment or a partner who can't share a room then I believe you are exempt the charge, it is only when the room is not 'needed' that the charge is applied. There are plenty of hard working families, not on benefits, paying tax, who would like an extra room - but they don't get funded for it.

I have every sympathy for people who are reliant on benefits, and a civilised society should look after its disadvantaged members, but the pot is not unlimited and I would rather my tax went to providing an extra bed in my local hospital.

As to Politicians and 'Grace and Favour' houses - that is a different discussion....

[theartfullodger]

Not to mention the Sovereign grant... and persons like the Andrew formally known as prince who lives in the Queen Mum's old home, Royal Lodge, Windsor Great park, for free on a 70 year lease that he can pass onto his kids after he pops his clogs...