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Moving out of parents while on benefits?

CSmith91
Community member Posts: 3 Listener
Hi, I currently recieve benefits for my mental health issues, PIP and ESA.
I would like to move out of my parents house and into a place with my partner. Is such a thing even possible and what are the steps I would need to take?
I assume I would need to move from ESA and onto UC to get some kind of support with the renting costs?
Would I be allowed to rent from a private landlord or is council housing my only option? (I dont think I even quality for council housing so I guess not)
Is it hard to find a landlord who rents to people on benefits and what are the ways around that?
Thanks for any advice!
I would like to move out of my parents house and into a place with my partner. Is such a thing even possible and what are the steps I would need to take?
I assume I would need to move from ESA and onto UC to get some kind of support with the renting costs?
Would I be allowed to rent from a private landlord or is council housing my only option? (I dont think I even quality for council housing so I guess not)
Is it hard to find a landlord who rents to people on benefits and what are the ways around that?
Thanks for any advice!
Tagged:
Comments
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Hi and welcome to the community
A lot depends on your circumstances does your partner work or claim benefits
You will find it difficult to private rent if just on benefits but not impossible
You can apply to go on the council list but this will probably have long waiting list
Priority is given to those homeless or about to be made homeless and also those with children
Basically if you have a roof over your head you will be down the list
You can only get help towards housing costs with uc buf you maybe entitled to claim esa and uc but any esa payments t will be deducted from uc
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CSmith91 said:I assume I would need to move from ESA and onto UC to get some kind of support with the renting costs?
https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/Search.aspx
You would retain any contribution based ESA alongside UC but the ESA would be deducted from theUC.CSmith91 said:Would I be allowed to rent from a private landlord or is council housing my only option? (I dont think I even quality for council housing so I guess not)CSmith91 said:Is it hard to find a landlord who rents to people on benefits and what are the ways around that?
Does your partner also claim benefits? Living with a partner both of you would have to claim UC and your entitlement will be based on your joint financial circumstances.Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK. -
I took a look on some property listings and found some listings that included "DSS/UC accepted/considered".
Can you please tell me what would be my next step, do I call the agent and tell them I'm interested but don't currently have UC?
Would they accept me as a tenant if I haven't even applied for it yet?
If an landlord is accepting/considering DSS, does that mean it's possible to support ones self on benefits alone?
Is the move from ESA to UC typically an increase in money, especially if housing element gets added on?
My partner is from Canada so I don't think she'll be entitled to any benefits at this time, sadly.
Thank you very much, this is all very helpful. -
CSmith91 said:Can you please tell me what would be my next step, do I call the agent and tell them I'm interested but don't currently have UC?CSmith91 said:If an landlord is accepting/considering DSS, does that mean it's possible to support ones self on benefits alone?CSmith91 said:Is the move from ESA to UC typically an increase in money, especially if housing element gets added on?
Thew addition of help with rent would then increase the amount of UC you receive but as noted above may be less than the rent so your disposable income after paying your rent would be less than you are used to.CSmith91 said:
My partner is from Canada so I don't think she'll be entitled to any benefits at this time, sadly.
However even if you remain on ESA if you live with them you would need to declare this and their finances would affect your income based ESA. Any contribution based ESA you receive would not be affected. Do you know if your ESA includes any contribution based amount?
If you rent you may also need to pay Council Tax. There isa benefit called Council Tax Reduction which can help with this but there are complications claiming this if you live with a partner with NRPF and claiming it can, arguably, affect their immigration status.
I recommend you get advice fro a local benefits agency who can offer advice taking into account your specific circumstances. You should also ask them about any implications for your partner's immigration status.
https://advicelocal.uk
Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK. -
I've lived alone on ESA & HB for the last 6 years, with PIP as well for the last 18 months.
I couldn't do it without PIP now that bills, groceries and rents have gone up (and my rent is still fairly low for the area). If your partner is unable to work or claim benefits, I think you may struggle on just your income but would have to do your own sums for that as others have mentioned above.
I've also spent the last 18 months trying to find a more suitable property and been refused due to benefits every single time. Totally different experience to when I moved 6 years ago! -
Thank you for answers.
Do you know if having a working garuantor helps with a benefit claimaint secure a property?
We could also pay 6 months of rent in advance, would this help convince a landlord rent to a DSS claimaint ?
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You'll almost certainly need a guarantor for private rentals. Thier income generally needs to be 3 times the rent amount.
6 months rent upfront should help. -
I'll agree a guarantor will be needed but whether this will increase your chances of finding a proptery is another matter. There's a lot of LL's out there that will refuse even with this and the 6 months rent upfront. I've found that over the years it just gets more and more difficult to find a LL that accepts those DSS tenants.
I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
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