taking in a lodger

[northboy]

a friend of mine will be moving in with me soon,i am living in rental accomodation.i am working and he is unempoyed.
can he claim any monies from the social security,etc,,to help towards rent,gas,electric.

[bednobs]

job seekers allowance, probably.
you must check with the person you rent off of that its ok for him to move in

[northboy]

do they have to know,if i dont tell them, can he still claim job seekers allowance

[bednobs]

is he actively looking for work?

[northboy]

when he moves down here from stoke he will be,,he is on incapacity benefit due to an injury to the tendons in his right hand.
apparently he can still claim his incapacity if he works 16hrs a week or less,,is this right

[jojojojoanne]

would he be your guest? or would you need the extra help?

[bednobs]

if he is not well enough to work, then i suppose he cant claim jobseekers allowance. He will use his incapacity benefit towards rent/gas/electric wont he? Isn't that what it's for?

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

Benefits are a nightmare to work out. You'd be well advised to contact your local Citizens' Advice Bureau for expert guidance. However, the following might help:

General information about Incapacity Benefit is here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Fin ancialSupport/DG_10016082

You can find out about working, while on Incapacity Benefit, here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Fin ancialSupport/DG_10020667
(Your friend can probably earn up to �88.50 per week without affecting his Incapacity Benefit).

If you rent out a specific part of your house or flat to your friend (i.e. as you would to a lodger), this would be classed as 'sub-letting', which breaches nearly all tenancy agreements. (i.e. your landlord could seek to have you evicted). However, a simple flat- (or house-) sharing arrangement doesn't necessarily breach your tenancy agreement; you'd need to read the small print to find out if you're allowed to have another person living with you.

[Buenchico]

Your friend may well be entitled to receive Housing Benefit but the rules are complicated and he'd almost certainly find that he'd lose Housing Benefit (but not Incapacity Benefit) on a 'pound for pound' basis if he undertook any work:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefit s/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/On_a_low_i ncome/DG_10018926

Normally, if you have a second adult move into a property previously occupied by just one adult, you can expect your Council Tax to rise (because you'll lose the 25% discount which applies to sole occupiers). However, you might be able to keep the increase to a minimum through the provisions relating to a second adult on a low income:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/HomeAndCommunity/Y ourlocalcouncilandCouncilTax/CouncilTax/DG_100 37422

As stated, those are just starting points when working your way through complex rules. Contact your local CAB for further information:
http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvi ce.htm

Chris

[northboy]

thanks chris,will look into this