advice on mortgage and benefits

[pammyaj]

My friend is buying a house (mortgage) and I am going to be moving in with her. I am not working as I'm on incapacity benefit (ill health). |Can I claim housing benefit? and how does it work? (need to make tenancy agreements?) Any advice is greatly appreciated as I've searched and searched all over the internet without any definate answers. Many thanks in advance

[Ethel]

If your friend is your landlord and you are effectively the lodger, then the fact there is a mortgage is irrelevant.

'Lodging' is capped at a fair rent of around �40 per week.

Have a look here:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/housi ng_benefit.asp

If your friend is of the opposite sex, you may have to convince them you are not cohabiting.