can i claim housing benefit whilst renting from my brother

[celestine6735]

So I am single with a 2 year old son I have been renting my 2 bed flat privatley from a landlord for 2 years using housing benefit/dss to pay the majority of my rent, he has recently put the rent up so I am planning on leaving this flat and looking for a new one when my tenancy ends in feburary.

So my brother is a landlord who has 2 other one bed flats and a 2 bed house which would be perfect for me to move into, its been rented out constantly for the last few years, i belive also with tenants claiming dss and it will be free for a new tenant around febuary.

So he said why dont i move into his flat that he would prefer someone he knows to live in it, and told me it would be no problem the fact that we were related.

I just wanted some advice on this I'm living in Brent and I feel they can be quite suspicious and strict on dss,

so I'm wanting to know would renting from him be possible I would be paying a deposit, a reasonable rent for the area and he would be advertising the flat fairly

[id6052]

where a person is renting from a close relative, the council may investigate the tenancy more closely than other arrangements as they would need to be satisfied that it is a genuine liability which is on a commercial basis

 

if they are satisfied, then they would award you HB

if they are not satisfied, they would refuse your claim

[nohope]

I think most councils work differently, my council say they will not pay any housing benefit if you rent from a family member but i'm sure there are ways of getting round it as at the end of the day your still renting a property no matter who its from.

[DEE052815]

So I am single with a 2 year old son I have been renting my 2 bed flat privatley from a landlord for 2 years using housing benefit/dss to pay the majority of my rent, he has recently put the rent up so I am planning on leaving this flat and looking for a new one when my tenancy ends in feburary.

So my brother is a landlord who has 2 other one bed flats and a 2 bed house which would be perfect for me to move into, its been rented out constantly for the last few years, i belive also with tenants claiming dss and it will be free for a new tenant around febuary.

So he said why dont i move into his flat that he would prefer someone he knows to live in it, and told me it would be no problem the fact that we were related.

I just wanted some advice on this I'm living in Brent and I feel they can be quite suspicious and strict on dss,

so I'm wanting to know would renting from him be possible I would be paying a deposit, a reasonable rent for the area and he would be advertising the flat fairly

 

If the landlord does not live in the property then ots ok, questions may get asked but its fine

[estellyn]

If he can show it was previously rented, and will be rented to you on the same commercial basis, then it should be OK. Like for instance if you were no longer on benefit, you'd still have to pay rent, and if you stopped paying rent, you'd be evicted.

[jadeybags]

Our council does pay rent to a family member. I think it does vary though. Ask them.