- I claim ESA (Support) DLA (low-mid) Council Tax reduction (50-75%? Unsure. Also this is not related to my income rather my disabilities) reduced water rates (although this is not mentioned in the "public funds" list) and housing benefit (top rate for Plymouth City council which is £404 a month).
- According to just about everything I have read on the gov.uk site and around here, none of my benefits are discounted when calculating the "Adequate maintenance" requirement. None of my benefits appear to be counted as income support, which I heard can cause issues.
- After pouring over the documents (including the hidden ones, seriously why is some of the information on the gov.uk site so hard to actually find?) I have repeatedly come across some potential red flags when it concerns benefits. So I feel compelled, for my own sanity, to ask a few questions here and hope for some helpful responses:
* How will my spouse coming to live with me in my rented accommodation effect my HB? My spouse will not be contributing to my rent in any way (my HB does not cover all of my rent, I pay for the rest out of my ESA). When the council are informed that I have someone living with me, will I need to provide proof that my spouse is not aiding me in the rent?
* Will this effect my single-persons council tax reduction? If so, how much? Is there anyway of getting around this? Will my spouse have to pay council tax as well?
* I have heard that because I am claiming these benefits, the decision maker may look upon that as my spouse claiming them by proxy. Of course this is utter nonsense, but I suppose I better be careful and ensure that the case reviewer knows exactly what is in the documents? This is the one thing I am most worried about and it's infuriating me. Why bother making disabled people exempt from their financial requirement if their benefits do not count towards the adequate maintenance requirement?
I have read all the relevant documents. I keep coming across pieces of information that confirm what I have mentioned above, but I keep seeing these red flags and potential issues all the time, and it is greatly worrying me, making me loose sleep and making me feel unwell every time I think about it. So I would really appreciate some help
