On UC - taking a lodger - declaration

spb1612

I am enquiring on behalf of a frail individual who is in receipt of Universal Credit and owns his own home.

He has taken in a lodger to help with household bills and basic home maintenance.

As he is approximately six months from State Pension age, he is concerned that reporting this change of circumstances may cause an interruption to his Universal Credit payments.

Please could you advise what steps he should take and whether reporting this will affect his ongoing entitlement.

Thank you, and Happy New Year to you all.

Rachel_Scope

Hi @spb1612. Is the lodger a family member? If so, then their UC will be affected. If it is not a family member then it won't affect it and any rent that's received won't be treated as income.

Here's some more information https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/lodging-and-subletting/lodging-subletting/landlords-of-lodgers/taking-in-a-lodger-what-you-need-to-think-about-first/#:~:text=Check%20how%20a%20lodger%20could,a%20lodger%20from%20her%20landlord. . Hope that helps.

OverlyAnxious

Hi,

As he owns his home, there won't be any Housing Element to worry about here.

For UC, rental income from a lodger is not classed as income, and should not affect his UC payments.

This change should still be reported through the UC online portal if he has access to that. If it's a telephone-only claim then he will need to phone them instead.