me and my fiance have had to split up because we lived at my parents, she's 
gone back to her parents for now, and we have to find our own place asap,

i get IS and IB, for joint/back problems and gut problems as well as some 
stress problems, my fiance gets IS for gut problems and major stress 
problems/anger problems, which were made intollerable by my parents.

we have no children, and never want any, and live in the south kesteven 
council area.

I've heard that the waiting list for a council house/flat would be a few 
years for us, as we dont have many qualifying points.

i was wondering how to go about moving out to a non council property?

There have been a load of new flats built recently in this town, most of 
them are for rent, but obviousely privately, and it seems the going rate is 
£450 a month,

There are a few that exclude us imediately due to us having pets (a dog and 
2 fancy rats) but only a few say no DSS.

but i have no idea if it's even possible to claim housing benefit for 
something like this, idealy i need to be on the ground floor due to my joint 
problems, as the flats are 3 storeys and dont have lifts.

the housing benefit claim form is confusing to me, firstly it needs me to 
put in a claim for the obht of us, as we'll be living back together when we 
get our own place, but if i put on the HB form we are together, it'll cause 
problems as we are on seperate claims for our benefits now, do i do it in my 
name and add my fiance later? or what???

also it seems to imply the only way to claim is to be in rented accomodation 
already,

is it possible to get a claim set up to pay the rent when we do get a place 
to live? or doesnt it work like that?

i've heard it can take a few months to get the claim paid, hence why most 
landlords dont want the hassle of dss tennants, i am able to borrow some 
money to pay rent in advance for a few months to cover whilst the HB is 
sorted out, but i gather finding a landlord to accept that will be hard.

is there a way to do what i'm proposing?
and if so how do i go about it, as i have no experiance of this at all.

Gazz wrote:
> me and my fiance have had to split up because we lived at my parents, she's 
> gone back to her parents for now, and we have to find our own place asap,
> 
> i get IS and IB, for joint/back problems and gut problems as well as some 
> stress problems, my fiance gets IS for gut problems and major stress 
> problems/anger problems, which were made intollerable by my parents.
> 
> we have no children, and never want any, and live in the south kesteven 
> council area.
> 
> I've heard that the waiting list for a council house/flat would be a few 
> years for us, as we dont have many qualifying points.
> 
> i was wondering how to go about moving out to a non council property?
> 
> There have been a load of new flats built recently in this town, most of 
> them are for rent, but obviousely privately, and it seems the going rate is 
> £450 a month,
> 
> There are a few that exclude us imediately due to us having pets (a dog and 
> 2 fancy rats) but only a few say no DSS.
> 
> but i have no idea if it's even possible to claim housing benefit for 
> something like this, idealy i need to be on the ground floor due to my joint 
> problems, as the flats are 3 storeys and dont have lifts.
> 
> the housing benefit claim form is confusing to me, firstly it needs me to 
> put in a claim for the obht of us, as we'll be living back together when we 
> get our own place, but if i put on the HB form we are together, it'll cause 
> problems as we are on seperate claims for our benefits now, do i do it in my 
> name and add my fiance later? or what???
> 
> also it seems to imply the only way to claim is to be in rented accomodation 
> already,
> 
> is it possible to get a claim set up to pay the rent when we do get a place 
> to live? or doesnt it work like that?
> 
> i've heard it can take a few months to get the claim paid, hence why most 
> landlords dont want the hassle of dss tennants, i am able to borrow some 
> money to pay rent in advance for a few months to cover whilst the HB is 
> sorted out, but i gather finding a landlord to accept that will be hard.
> 
> is there a way to do what i'm proposing?
> and if so how do i go about it, as i have no experiance of this at all. 
> 
> 

Do you have a local Citizens Advice Bureau close by? I would suggest 
contacting them if there is one as you raise many questions, some of 
which can't be answered without some local knowledge (for example, what 
the average rent in your area is). You also need to have someone do a 
benefit check to see how much you would get in cash benefits as a couple 
- technically, you should have already been claiming as a couple while 
living with your parents but it isn't 100% clear that has been the case 
(though I read from what you write that you probably were claiming as a 
couple).

Also, there may be local housing associations as well as just the 
council who provide housing, and in light of your mobility problems the 
CAB might be able to signpost you to an appropriate social landlord.

In order to claim HB you have to have a rent liability, although a claim 
to HB can be made in advance (up to 12 weeks I believe) although the 
money can't be paid until you move in and there has to be a property you 
have to move into - you can't be paid Housing Benefit just to help you 
find somewhere. Though there is the Social Fund who can help with things 
like deposits, though that help mis extremely limited and most people 
don't qualify. But someone with a disability moving to suitable 
accommodation might just qualify.

Like I said, you would be better off speaking to a welfare rights 
organisation like CAB as your query isn't easy to answer without more 
information.

-- 
Robbie

Gazz wrote:
> me and my fiance have had to split up because we lived at my parents, she's 
> gone back to her parents for now, and we have to find our own place asap,
> 
> i get IS and IB, for joint/back problems and gut problems as well as some 
> stress problems, my fiance gets IS for gut problems and major stress 
> problems/anger problems, which were made intollerable by my parents.
> 
> we have no children, and never want any, and live in the south kesteven 
> council area.
> 
> I've heard that the waiting list for a council house/flat would be a few 
> years for us, as we dont have many qualifying points.
> 
> i was wondering how to go about moving out to a non council property?
> 
> There have been a load of new flats built recently in this town, most of 
> them are for rent, but obviousely privately, and it seems the going rate is 
> ?450 a month,
> 
> There are a few that exclude us imediately due to us having pets (a dog and 
> 2 fancy rats) but only a few say no DSS.
> 
> but i have no idea if it's even possible to claim housing benefit for 
> something like this, idealy i need to be on the ground floor due to my joint 
> problems, as the flats are 3 storeys and dont have lifts.
> 
> the housing benefit claim form is confusing to me, firstly it needs me to 
> put in a claim for the obht of us, as we'll be living back together when we 
> get our own place, but if i put on the HB form we are together, it'll cause 
> problems as we are on seperate claims for our benefits now, do i do it in my 
> name and add my fiance later? or what???
> 
> also it seems to imply the only way to claim is to be in rented accomodation 
> already,
> 
> is it possible to get a claim set up to pay the rent when we do get a place 
> to live? or doesnt it work like that?
> 
> i've heard it can take a few months to get the claim paid, hence why most 
> landlords dont want the hassle of dss tennants, i am able to borrow some 
> money to pay rent in advance for a few months to cover whilst the HB is 
> sorted out, but i gather finding a landlord to accept that will be hard.
> 
> is there a way to do what i'm proposing?
> and if so how do i go about it, as i have no experiance of this at all. 
> 
> 
If you want to know how the maximum HB payable on a property, you can 
get a Pre-Tenancy Determination. Ask your council about this but you 
need a specific flat, and the landlord usually has to agree.
As you are on IS you will get this figure minus any service-charges 
which miht not be eligible, such as a water charge.

You will need to declare that you are partners to the DWP if you 
cohabit. This will affect your IS.
YOu don't say how old you are so here is the relevant JCP page:
http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits/Incomesupport/index.html

You do need to move in to a place before actually getting paid HB, so 
you will need some money to pay a deposit and first months rent usually.

The HB system is changing in April, and it will be calculated using the 
Local Housing Allowance if you claim after 07/04/08.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/housingbenefit/lha/

This will mean that you can ask the council in advance how much you will 
get (much more simply than with the PTD described above which is 
worked-out by the Rent Service)

The intention behind the LHA is to give you an allowance that you can 
spend how you like on renting. Of course the new rules are complicated. 
It will be in your favour to have bills included in the rent under LHA.

"Gazz"  wrote in
news:ko2dnS3vQslHHznanZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@pipex.net: 

[snip]

> the housing benefit claim form is confusing to me,

Housing Benefit is one of the worst claims ever.

1) Your local council will have guideline rents.  Go and ask what the 
guideline rent is for accomodation in your area.  You will have to look 
for a property that has one bedroom, one kitchen, one bathroom, and one 
living room.  Any other rooms and they'll penalise you.

2) You _must_ make a joint claim for both of you if you are both living 
there.  Not doing so will cause you a very great deal of trouble.

3) You cannot claim before you move in - you need to claim after you've 
moved in.  You might be able to get a "pre-tenency determination" - but 
don't rely on that for final figures.

3a) There should be some kind of "deposit bond" scheme, where you can 
borrow the moeny for a deposit before you move in.

4) Be prepared for a great deal of stress and confusion.  The combination 
of HB, CTB, IS and IB is -in my experience- something that will cause a 
lot of trouble.

Good Luck.

I *strongly* suggest that you see your "benefit support worker" (or 
whatever they're called) at the local council, and that you talk to 
someone at CAB, and that you get **everything in writing** with receipts.

"bealoid"  wrote in message 
news:Xns9A38D7002DD86YAsfKJXSTO@194.117.143.53...
> "Gazz"  wrote in
> news:ko2dnS3vQslHHznanZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@pipex.net:
>
> [snip]
>
>> the housing benefit claim form is confusing to me,
>
> Housing Benefit is one of the worst claims ever.

Cheers for the help,
didnt think it'd be easy, thats why i put it off for so long, btw, we're not 
a really young couple, sam is 26, im 31!!! stayed at parents as was easiest, 
they wanted us there etc.

our DWP office is a job centre plus now, so prolly have to phone to find 
things out, or do i go somewhere else for housing issues? rather speak to 
someone face to face as i hate using the phone, but am forced to if i want 
to get my IS,

with the DWP website had a thing with the 'average' HB amounts they allocate 
to people, i'm in south kesteven district council area (live in Grantham, 
and want to stay in grantham) just be nice to know if the rents i've seen 
for 1 and 2 bedroomed flats is near what HB is awarded for, (which range 
from £400 to £500 a month)
i know it all goes on personal income, but we get the basic income support 
thing plus i get the long term extra of about 23 quid,

i know we are appart right now, but that's what we used to get, 20 quid a 
week less than the 2 seperate claims if they were put together, that's where 
the confusion arose in the forms, we will be living together when we get a 
place, but are appart right now and getting seperate single person claims, 
didnt want HB people saying to DWP that we applied as a couple, when we are 
on single cliams right now.

it may be easier for me to wait till the april changes, being told that 
there' £xxx for a couple allowed in our area would be much better, we could 
instiantly know if the flats we've seen are affordable or not,

1 bedroomed flats seem hard to find here, found one, but it has electric 
heating, and as i have to keep warm or i can hardly move, it'll cost us a 
fortune to heat a place with electric heating,

is there a standard ammount deducted for having a 2 bedroomed flat as a 
couple?

no problems with paying a deposit and first few months rent, we've saved up 
for that, plus my parents are willing to help us out, so just need to find a 
landlord that will accept us claiming HB for the rent, which seems the hard 
thing to do.

"Gazz"  wrote in
news:abidnZuisNmuUjjanZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@pipex.net: 

[snip]

> is there a standard ammount deducted for having a 2 bedroomed flat as
> a couple?

The rules for couples and singles are baffling.

You need to speak to someone at the local council.  they should be happy 
for you to turn up and speak to them.

My wife and I used to have separate flats before we got married.  We each 
had single bed flats.  She got £x per month, I got £y per month.

We moved in together.  This flat is the cheapest flat we could find that 
wasn't a bedsit. It has a kitchen, bathroom, front room, and two other 
rooms which are called "bedrooms" - although one of them doesn't fit a bed.

As a couple we get £z.  £z is less than £x.  £z is less than £y.  (EG, 
using made up numbers: she got £420 pcm, I got £450 pcm, together we get 
£375 pcm total)

I don't know what would have happened if we had kept both flats and 
alternated between them each night - but it feels like we would have been 
better off.

"bealoid"  wrote in message 
news:Xns9A39B77BA205DYAsfKJXSTO@194.117.143.37...
> "Gazz"  wrote in
> news:abidnZuisNmuUjjanZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@pipex.net:
>
> [snip]
>
>> is there a standard ammount deducted for having a 2 bedroomed flat as
>> a couple?
>
> The rules for couples and singles are baffling.

> As a couple we get £z.  £z is less than £x.  £z is less than £y.  (EG,
> using made up numbers: she got £420 pcm, I got £450 pcm, together we get
> £375 pcm total)
>
> I don't know what would have happened if we had kept both flats and
> alternated between them each night - but it feels like we would have been
> better off.

so maybe i should hang out untill april, when these new rules come in and a 
set ammount is allowed??

it's certianly very confusing, no wonder there's so many mistakes made.

"Gazz"  wrote in message 
news:3tidnc9WfPvljzvanZ2dnUVZ8qKvnZ2d@pipex.net...
>
> "bealoid"  wrote in message 
> news:Xns9A39B77BA205DYAsfKJXSTO@194.117.143.37...
>> "Gazz"  wrote in
>> news:abidnZuisNmuUjjanZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@pipex.net:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>>> is there a standard ammount deducted for having a 2 bedroomed flat as
>>> a couple?
>>
>> The rules for couples and singles are baffling.
>
>> As a couple we get £z.  £z is less than £x.  £z is less than £y.  (EG,
>> using made up numbers: she got £420 pcm, I got £450 pcm, together we get
>> £375 pcm total)
>>
>> I don't know what would have happened if we had kept both flats and
>> alternated between them each night - but it feels like we would have been
>> better off.
>
> so maybe i should hang out untill april, when these new rules come in and 
> a set ammount is allowed??
>
> it's certianly very confusing, no wonder there's so many mistakes made.
>

To save mucking about, get your own place first, if the bird wants to move 
in afterwards, fine, make sure she can cook. You can get the council to do 
pre tenancy determination for you, this means they will tell you how much 
rent they will pay for a property before you decide to move in. You need to 
find landlords that accept DSS, they know the score. Avoid estate agents, 
they tend to let to employed people only.

On 4 Feb, 12:58, "Niteawk"  wrote:
> "Gazz"  wrote in message
>
> news:3tidnc9WfPvljzvanZ2dnUVZ8qKvnZ2d@pipex.net...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > "bealoid"  wrote in message
> >news:Xns9A39B77BA205DYAsfKJXSTO@194.117.143.37...
> >> "Gazz"  wrote in
> >>news:abidnZuisNmuUjjanZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@pipex.net:
>
> >> [snip]
>
> >>> is there a standard ammount deducted for having a 2 bedroomed flat as
> >>> a couple?
>
> >> The rules for couples and singles are baffling.
>
> >> As a couple we get £z.  £z is less than £x.  £z is less than £y.  (EG,
> >> using made up numbers: she got £420 pcm, I got £450 pcm, together we get
> >> £375 pcm total)
>
> >> I don't know what would have happened if we had kept both flats and
> >> alternated between them each night - but it feels like we would have been
> >> better off.
>
> > so maybe i should hang out untill april, when these new rules come in and
> > a set ammount is allowed??
>
> > it's certianly very confusing, no wonder there's so many mistakes made.
>
> To save mucking about, get your own place first, if the bird wants to move> in afterwards, fine, make sure she can cook. You can get the council to do> pre tenancy determination for you, this means they will tell you how much
> rent they will pay for a property before you decide to move in. You need to
> find landlords that accept DSS, they know the score. Avoid estate agents,
> they tend to let to employed people only.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

LOL.
Estate agents often have a majority of properties to let to non-DSS
people.
But can have a decent supply of landlords willing to simply get the
property rented out. Including to those on benefit.

No rent means no income from property. Not all landlords will hold
principles above covering costs.

Check out estate agents for properties - or you may miss some of the
best places.


Martin  <><

Niteawk wrote:
> 
> "Gazz"  wrote in message 
> news:3tidnc9WfPvljzvanZ2dnUVZ8qKvnZ2d@pipex.net...
>>
>> "bealoid"  wrote in message 
>> news:Xns9A39B77BA205DYAsfKJXSTO@194.117.143.37...
>>> "Gazz"  wrote in
>>> news:abidnZuisNmuUjjanZ2dneKdnZydnZ2d@pipex.net:
>>>
>>> [snip]
>>>
>>>> is there a standard ammount deducted for having a 2 bedroomed flat as
>>>> a couple?
>>>
>>> The rules for couples and singles are baffling.
>>
>>> As a couple we get £z.  £z is less than £x.  £z is less than £y.  (EG,
>>> using made up numbers: she got £420 pcm, I got £450 pcm, together we get
>>> £375 pcm total)
>>>
>>> I don't know what would have happened if we had kept both flats and
>>> alternated between them each night - but it feels like we would have 
>>> been
>>> better off.
>>
>> so maybe i should hang out untill april, when these new rules come in 
>> and a set ammount is allowed??
>>
>> it's certianly very confusing, no wonder there's so many mistakes made.
>>
> 
> To save mucking about, get your own place first, if the bird wants to 
> move in afterwards, fine, make sure she can cook. You can get the 
> council to do pre tenancy determination for you, this means they will 
> tell you how much rent they will pay for a property before you decide to 
> move in. You need to find landlords that accept DSS, they know the 
> score. Avoid estate agents, they tend to let to employed people only.
> 
> 

For once - drum roll and trumpets please! - I agree with you! As they 
are living apart at present he may as well get the place first and move 
in alone and then sort out the living together issue afterwards, 
otherwise he'll be trying to do too much at the same time.

that said, a pre-tenancy determination can only be done with the consent 
of the landlord since it is binding for 12 months on that property.

As he has mobility problems I would still see someone from the likes of 
the CAB if i were him as they may have a list of local housing associations.

-- 
Robbie

> For once - drum roll and trumpets please! - I agree with you! As they are 
> living apart at present he may as well get the place first and move in 
> alone and then sort out the living together issue afterwards, otherwise 
> he'll be trying to do too much at the same time.
>
> that said, a pre-tenancy determination can only be done with the consent 
> of the landlord since it is binding for 12 months on that property.
>
> As he has mobility problems I would still see someone from the likes of 
> the CAB if i were him as they may have a list of local housing 
> associations.

Cheers for all the help people,

i found out last night that south kesteven district council have a HB 
checker thingy on their web site, it just tells you what ammount of HB your 
entitled to based on how you'd fill the form in,

with me getting IS, no kids, no dependants, no other dosh coming in etc, i'm 
entitled to the full ammount it seems,

So just gotta apply for it and find a place to live, and hope that the £425 
to £450 a month rent that seems to be charged round here for a 1 or 2 bed 
apartment is acceptable.

Seen a place we'd like to live, somewhere safe and quiet, it's a 1 bed flat, 
425 a month rent, but it's advertized through a couple of different letting 
agents,

i've e-mailed the main one (belvoir letting agents) to see if they have any 
landlords that accept people paying the rent via HB, but no reply yet,

My GF is coming over tommorow (our pet rats are having their nads removed, 
so she wants to see them before the ops just incase they dont make it) and 
we're going to go and see which is the best way to claim HB... i.e. my name 
only then add her a few days after i move in, or get it all set up to change 
to a joint claim the day we move, or what ever way they suggets,

Not sure where to go tho, web site says council, but also mentions the DWP 
office, guess i'll try the DWP office first, and ask if they have any non 
pet geese i can try and catch :)

Then we'll go to the letting agents and try our luck there, first hurdle 
being getting a landlord to accept HB, dont really see the problem my self, 
BUT i do know landlords do see the problem, as apparently more likely to not 
pay utility bills, cause problems, skip on rent etc, we're not like that, 
but have to try and persuade them of that (be nice if some anti 
discrimination law covered this, we don't come from council estates, parents 
have private homes, dont party, dont drink or smoke, dont cause problems to 
neigbours, dont wreck places for fun, and can always borrow dosh off our 
parents for rent for a while if the HB claim gets cocked up)

Then we need to find a landlord that'll allow pets, not only a dog.. who is 
medium haired so will moult, but 2 pedegree fancy rats, they're the ones i 
can see landlords recoiling in horror over if they've never seen fancy rats 
before, as most people think of wild sewer rats when they hear that word, 
our rats are cleaner that some humans, friendlier too come to think of it :)

Gazz wrote:
>> For once - drum roll and trumpets please! - I agree with you! As they are 
>> living apart at present he may as well get the place first and move in 
>> alone and then sort out the living together issue afterwards, otherwise 
>> he'll be trying to do too much at the same time.
>>
>> that said, a pre-tenancy determination can only be done with the consent 
>> of the landlord since it is binding for 12 months on that property.
>>
>> As he has mobility problems I would still see someone from the likes of 
>> the CAB if i were him as they may have a list of local housing 
>> associations.
> 
> Cheers for all the help people,
> 
> i found out last night that south kesteven district council have a HB 
> checker thingy on their web site, it just tells you what ammount of HB your 
> entitled to based on how you'd fill the form in,
> 
> with me getting IS, no kids, no dependants, no other dosh coming in etc, i'm 
> entitled to the full ammount it seems,
> 
> So just gotta apply for it and find a place to live, and hope that the ï½£425 
> to ï½£450 a month rent that seems to be charged round here for a 1 or 2 bed 
> apartment is acceptable.
> 
> Seen a place we'd like to live, somewhere safe and quiet, it's a 1 bed flat, 
> 425 a month rent, but it's advertized through a couple of different letting 
> agents,
> 
> i've e-mailed the main one (belvoir letting agents) to see if they have any 
> landlords that accept people paying the rent via HB, but no reply yet,
> 
> My GF is coming over tommorow (our pet rats are having their nads removed, 
> so she wants to see them before the ops just incase they dont make it) and 
> we're going to go and see which is the best way to claim HB... i.e. my name 
> only then add her a few days after i move in, or get it all set up to change 
> to a joint claim the day we move, or what ever way they suggets,
> 
> Not sure where to go tho, web site says council, but also mentions the DWP 
> office, guess i'll try the DWP office first, and ask if they have any non 
> pet geese i can try and catch :)
> 
> Then we'll go to the letting agents and try our luck there, first hurdle 
> being getting a landlord to accept HB, dont really see the problem my self, 
> BUT i do know landlords do see the problem, as apparently more likely to not 
> pay utility bills, cause problems, skip on rent etc, we're not like that, 
> but have to try and persuade them of that (be nice if some anti 
> discrimination law covered this, we don't come from council estates, parents 
> have private homes, dont party, dont drink or smoke, dont cause problems to 
> neigbours, dont wreck places for fun, and can always borrow dosh off our 
> parents for rent for a while if the HB claim gets cocked up)
> 
> Then we need to find a landlord that'll allow pets, not only a dog.. who is 
> medium haired so will moult, but 2 pedegree fancy rats, they're the ones i 
> can see landlords recoiling in horror over if they've never seen fancy rats 
> before, as most people think of wild sewer rats when they hear that word, 
> our rats are cleaner that some humans, friendlier too come to think of it :)
> 
> 
Good luck. I have one important piece of advice. Always deal directly 
with the council as far as HB and CTB are concerned. Don't rely on the 
DWP or Jobcenter to pass on informantion or claim forms. They might mean 
well, but the reality is that the lines of communication between them 
and councils cannot be relied upon. This can cause serious problems, and 
you are obliged to report changes directly to the council anyway.

> Good luck. I have one important piece of advice. Always deal directly
> with the council as far as HB and CTB are concerned. Don't rely on the DWP 
> or Jobcenter to pass on informantion or claim forms. They might mean well, 
> but the reality is that the lines of communication between them and 
> councils cannot be relied upon. This can cause serious problems, and you 
> are obliged to report changes directly to the council anyway.

what a day, my pet rats were at the vets for ade-balling operation, so 
whilst waiting for them to come round, we went first to the job centre plus 
in town, got a HB application form, and told to try the council for housing 
enquiries,

went to the council, waited an hour, forced to listen to a woman having a 
shouting match with her ex on her phone over her CSA payments, with her 
telling various people on the phone her NI number, address, name, madien 
name, kids name, paye number and so on, was i an identity thief, i'd just 
have had to write down what she said at least 3 times in a row to pretend to 
be her, tho to be honnest i wouldent want to be her, poor lass.

Anyhoo, got to see the housin bod, i seemed to know more about the system 
than him, he couldent give me any hints to the 'average' rent in this town, 
couldent tell me how much we'd get penalised if we went for one of the many 
2 bedroomed flats we've seen, opposed to the 2 or 3 one bed flats.

He gave me a pretennancy agrement form, and told me he didnt know of any 
landlords who accept dss people, and to just try all the letting agents in 
town.

So we did that,

Tried the biggest, being on HB and IS is not a big problem as we can provide 
a guarentor,

But the pets are another problem, we'd seen a 1 bed flat we liked the area, 
look of, seemed ideal for us, but the agent didnt think landlord would allow 
pets,
it's our dog that's the problem, the 2 rats arent, as they're classed as 
caged pets, despite me telling her they need free range time (which isnt a 
problem as they do not chew wires, eat carpets or owt, just scrap with each 
other in the cage due to their hormones)

the agent was more worried the landlord would think we'd let our dog pee in 
the flat or something, because she kept saying a flat isnt ideal for us as 
no garden for the dog.

we'd been to look at the outside of the flat the day before with the dog in 
the car, there's a park we've walked her n before over the road, grass 
area's around the corner (with pick up the poo signs, but we do anyway)
And right behisn the flat is a parking area, with lots of little grassy 
areas that'd be ideal to let her have a midnight pee before bed,
but she gets a walk in the park before bed anyway.

I felt like saying our dog is cleaner than some humans i know, but didnt 
want to push our luck, as we really liked this flat it seemed ideal for us, 
having it's own private parking area that is like a garage without the door 
on it below the actual flat, which would be ideal to store my fiance's 
scooter, hang washing in the rain and so on,
Cant put a garage door on the car parkin area as the door to the flat is 
under there... would the housing officer bloke class it as an extra 
room/storage place/garage or sommat? i noticed a bit on the pre-tennancy 
form about a parking area being included in the rent.... all the flats round 
here have an allocated parking space, some have 2

Does that go against us? or is it only if it's an optional extra like a 
space in an underground gated area that has deposits on the security keys 
etc??

Gazz wrote:
>> Good luck. I have one important piece of advice. Always deal directly
>> with the council as far as HB and CTB are concerned. Don't rely on the DWP 
>> or Jobcenter to pass on informantion or claim forms. They might mean well, 
>> but the reality is that the lines of communication between them and 
>> councils cannot be relied upon. This can cause serious problems, and you 
>> are obliged to report changes directly to the council anyway.
> 
<snip>

> Anyhoo, got to see the housin bod, i seemed to know more about the system 
> than him, he couldent give me any hints to the 'average' rent in this town, 
> couldent tell me how much we'd get penalised if we went for one of the many 
> 2 bedroomed flats we've seen, opposed to the 2 or 3 one bed flats.
> 
They can't really give hints before the assessment. There are just too 
many variables with HB. That's what the PTD is for.

There is no penalty as such for an over-sized flat, its just that 
benefit will be based on the median average market rent for a one-bed in 
your case.

<snip>

> having it's own private parking area that is like a garage without the door 
> on it below the actual flat, which would be ideal to store my fiance's 
> scooter, hang washing in the rain and so on,
> Cant put a garage door on the car parkin area as the door to the flat is 
> under there... would the housing officer bloke class it as an extra 
> room/storage place/garage or sommat? 

No it doesn't count as a room. It wont be a garage either with no door, 
but might be a parking space. See below though.

i noticed a bit on the pre-tennancy
> form about a parking area being included in the rent.... all the flats round 
> here have an allocated parking space, some have 2
> 
> Does that go against us? or is it only if it's an optional extra like a 
> space in an underground gated area that has deposits on the security keys 
> etc?? 
> 
> 
If you have a service charge for parking, and it is inseparable from the 
rent, so that you must pay it in order to keep up your tenancy, then it 
is eligible for HB. It sounds like it would be, if you do actually have 
a parking charge in this case.

Well, feeling dejected now,

Called in the letting agents about the flat they said they'd ring about, 
lass behind desk said haddnt been able to call landlord to ask about pets,

but manager came out and said if we were the ones with the dog wanting to 
live in a flat, then we cant, she dosent think a dog can live in a flat, so 
she wont let us get any details on any flats anymore.

Great, the flat we were looking at is just around the corner from the park 
we usually walk the dog on anyway, but she wouldent have it.

So looking in the papers for landlords that dont use agents, not many round 
here with flats... saw an ad for mobile homes in the next town up, we 
origionaly wanted to live in a park home/static caravan, but couldent find 
any that rented them out.

Phoned them up, all was fine till we mentioned the dog, asked what type, we 
said a x-collie, she said 'that dog is too large to live in a mobile home' 
end of conversation.

didnt even tell her what our dog is crossed with, could be a toy poodle,
strange how we managed fine in a motorhome with the dog for 7 months one 
time, and the motorhome is about a quarter of the size of a static caravan.

So seems we must look for 1 bed bungalows, or the ultra rate ground floor 
flat with the garden to be allowed to go any further with a letting agent.

Gazz wrote:
> Well, feeling dejected now,
> 
> Called in the letting agents about the flat they said they'd ring about, 
> lass behind desk said haddnt been able to call landlord to ask about pets,
> 
> but manager came out and said if we were the ones with the dog wanting to 
> live in a flat, then we cant, she dosent think a dog can live in a flat, so 
> she wont let us get any details on any flats anymore.
> 
> Great, the flat we were looking at is just around the corner from the park 
> we usually walk the dog on anyway, but she wouldent have it.
> 
> So looking in the papers for landlords that dont use agents, not many round 
> here with flats... saw an ad for mobile homes in the next town up, we 
> origionaly wanted to live in a park home/static caravan, but couldent find 
> any that rented them out.
> 
> Phoned them up, all was fine till we mentioned the dog, asked what type, we 
> said a x-collie, she said 'that dog is too large to live in a mobile home' 
> end of conversation.
> 
> didnt even tell her what our dog is crossed with, could be a toy poodle,
> strange how we managed fine in a motorhome with the dog for 7 months one 
> time, and the motorhome is about a quarter of the size of a static caravan.
> 
> So seems we must look for 1 bed bungalows, or the ultra rate ground floor 
> flat with the garden to be allowed to go any further with a letting agent. 
> 
> 

have you tried to get housed with a Housing Association? I've mentioned 
them in a couple of my replies to you. With your mobility problesm they 
might be able to help.

the problem is, many landlords won't let people keep pets (ie dogs) in a 
flat.

-- 
Robbie