HAVING A FRIEND MOVE IN WITH YOU BECAUSE THEY ARE HOMELESS
Can I ask, if a friend of mine moves in with me because they are homeless, will the DWP assume they are my partner and this will affect my benefits? I know that having someone live with me will affect my Housing Benefit obviously but will it affect my Universal Credit and PIP?
Again, they are only moving in with me because they are homeless and it might be mutually beneficial for us to live together as we are getting older. We are certainly not "partners" and will not become partners. I've read that the DWP will assume you are partners and try and stop some of your benefits?
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The user and all related content has been deleted.1
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I am very wary of contacting the DWP itself as am just making enquiries at the moment. The same goes for the Citizens Advice Bureaux as that would be a lengthy process to get an appointment now. I just wondered if anyone had any idea on here, that is all. Thanks for your reply.
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Hi @axab43. Here's some information that could be useful . They may be classed as a non-dependent which can affect some benefits. Has your friend considered applying for benefits for themselves?
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Thank you for that link. That was very helpful. So according to that link, the only money taken off would be £93 a month housing cost element. That would be fine, I heard the DWP would try and prove you were living with a partner, not a friend, and that might affect your entitlement to Universal Credit at all. That seems very strange as lots of people share houses/flats without being in a romantic relationship these days. But that link you sent was helpful if they accept my friend is just a friend.
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You do not have to be romantically involved to be a couple. I think this is where the misunderstanding comes from.
Basically if you live as a couple then you are likely to be classed as a couple. That means sharing meals, sharing chores, watching TV together, shopping together, etc. You will have lower costs living this way than if you live separately in the same property.
There will always be a bit of grey area around this though.
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So they take money from the amount of Universal Credit you get, apart from the Housing Allowance, if you are living together? Sorry, I will have to check with Citizens Advice as I said before this happens.
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Glad it was helpful @axab43. It's definitely a grey area as Overly has said. I think the fact that the DWP uses the term 'partner' for everything makes it more confusing. It might be the case that you make a joint claim if they're going to be moving in with you indefinitely. I'd definitely recommend Citizens Advice for more guidance.
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They don't take money off you for living together. You would have to claim as a couple, so it depends on the other persons circumstances as to which elements of UC you are entitled to. For example, the basic couples rate is £628 a month. Whereas the basic single rate is only £400 a month.
The rates change every year in April, so if this is not likely to happen for years then it would be better to wait until nearer the time to calculate it fully.
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In this case though, my friend would be on Pension Credit and I would be on Universal Credit. I don't understand how it works but it would seem very odd claiming as a couple as that in no way applies and would not apply as we would just be living together and not sharing everything in the way a couple does.
Anyway, hopefully it will be a few years off as he is not likely to be made homeless yet. Thank you for your help, I appreciate it.0 -
Thank you for your help. Yes, I will definitely be looking to the CAB when the time comes, this was just getting some basic idea of what was involved and has been helpful.
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As already said, if you're not living as a couple then you don't have to claim as a couple. You will probably be asked for evidence to show that you aren't a couple.
If you did have to claim as a couple then you would both have to claim UC as a joint claim. It is not possible to claim Pension Credit as a couple until both people are above pension age.
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