speak to your council...
if your going for a rented property, they will judge as to whether the rent is fair etc, (they will try to get the rent lowered as much as possible if the tenancy hasnt already started)
you realise that you will only be deemed as needing about 140-160 / week of income to survive with one child ( 71 + 65 with a disregard for working etc... - speak to council for rates)
its not a case of if you qwualify they pay ALL of your rent... they may only pay 50p of your rent..
its unlikely they will pay a deposit for you. - although some councils will provide a sort of bond as to they will repair any damages by you... (no money is placed) or you need to pay the deposit within 3 months of moving in (instead of 900 in one go, 3 lots of 300... etc)
backdating a claim - can be tricky... you need proof as to why you didnt apply sooner, and its at the councils discretion.
HB is usually paid from the monday FOLLOWING a claim. (so if you claim on a monday, you have a full week without benefit).
processing an housing benefit claim will vary by council. - i know my council took anywhere between 6 - 12 weeks to process "change of circumstances". - these are questions to ask the specific council / local authority.
AS a guide: this website will provide the rates of what a local authority will pay in rent
(note: if LHA allowance is £100 for a 2 bed, and your rent is £150, the council will consider your rent to be £100 for calculation of benefits.)
Also consider, 65% of your "Excess income" will need paying towards your rent.
(if your rent is 100, and your excess income is 100, then you pay £65, the council will pay 35.)
20% of your excess income must be paid towards council tax.
(council tax is about £25/week by me, if excess income is £100, then i must pay £20 / week towards council tax, and council tax benefit will pay £5...
BUT: BEWARE WITH COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT: THIS IS DIFFERENT TO HB.
AS YOUR PARTNER IS LIVING WITH YOU, YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO THE 25% SINGLE ADULT DISCOUNT. IF YOU GET CTAX BENEFIT, IT WILL BE ASSESSED ON THE FULL AMOUNT. AND THEREFORE YOUR WIFE INCREASES PUBLIC FUNDS!
- DO NOT CLAIM COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT - MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU DO NOT WISH TO CLAIM IT -
https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk/search.aspx
^ SEARCH FOR LHA RATES BY POSTCODE/COUNCIL.
note: its best to search by postcode of an house, because one street could be "Warwickshire" council and another "Stratford District Council", its more accurate to know the house council by postcode.
- but as "runway" said, your best contacting your local authority.
