Property disregard universal credit

[Guest]

Property disregard for universal credit

[Guest]

During a mental health crisis upon leaving family home due to being Domestic Abuse I moved in Social Housing accommodation
I was advised that the family home I walked away from that any capital I had was in the marital home so discounted for Benefits assessment.
I have had a recent re assessment of my Universal Credit entitlement and was asked if I had any property owned by any one and I said yes with my estranged partner who lived at the home with my adult daughter 29 years old.
I have now been sent a form A64A to fill in which request the property value. I have no contact with my ex abuser and don’t know how to obtain the information they want.
could someone please help me to understand what’s going on ?

[Wylderose]

Hi Roma

When you claim housing benefit or universal credit, the benefits you claim are means-tested. This means that all income that you received from earnings, all money you hold in the bank and any capital you hold in property is used in your assessment as to whether you can afford to pay your own way.

If you own or part-own a property, the value of your share of the property counts as your capital, unless it can be disregarded.

The monetary value of the share in the property that you own is excluded when:
1. the home you live in – if you own the home you usually live in, its value is ignored. This only applies if you are temporarily absent from the property, for example, because of domestic abuse, but you are intending to return. Sometimes people who are abused will return to the home where the abuse occurred
2. your former home, if you have left it following relationship breakdown – the value of your property is ignored for 26 weeks (or 6 months, for UC) from the date you left the property, if you left it following the breakdown of your relationship. If your former partner still lives there and is a lone parent, the value of the property can be disregarded indefinitely. (in this circumstance to qualify as a lone parent, the remaining partner must have parental responsibility for a child. This does not appear to apply in your case because your daughter is 29 and therefore an adult)
3. you are taking reasonable steps to dispose of the property – if you are taking reasonable steps to sell the property, its value is ignored for 26 weeks (or 6 months, for UC) from the date when you first put the house on the market
4. you have sought legal advice or have started legal proceedings in order to occupy the property as your home – its value is disregarded for 26 weeks (or 6 months, for UC) from the date you applied for an occupation order to remove your ex-partner and allow you to move back in.
5. if you sell your home or former home and intend to use the money from the sale to buy another home – the money you get from the sale is disregarded for 26 weeks (or 6 months, for UC) from the date of sale or, for UC, from the date you receive the money. In this case you need to have a serious intention to buy another property

With regards the property you hold, I assume that you have also disclosed your interest as a beneficiary in your mother and father's estates. I know that this has been ongoing for some time, but will need to be taken into consideration as well because any capital holding in excess of £16000 for Universal Credit will exclude your claim.

"I have now been sent a form A64A to fill in which request the property value. I have no contact with my ex abuser and don’t know how to obtain the information they want." This is merely a property valuation form. You do not need to contact your ex partner. All you need to do is to request an estate agent to provide a "market valuation" for the property as the last thing you want to do is to disclose your current whereabouts

Good luck

[birtle98]

Is this the best place to ask advice about the A64A property form for DWP?