Housing benefit?

[Kes Green]

Hi all.
I'm currently (well for about ten years actually) thinking of buying a boat
to live on - there seems to be plenty of choice here in SW London. I don't
earn much money (i.e. about £130 per week) and as such, could just about
afford repayments on a £20000 marine loan (at about £70 per week). Of
course, mooring fees would be about £50 - £60 on top of that, making it
unaffordable. I have posted to the uk.gov.social-security newsgroup and
replies suggest that I could get housing benefit on mooring fees. I'd like
to hear from anyone who has managed this, or who knows a bit more about it.
I don't want to get myself into financial difficulties!
Thanks.
Kes.

[Mike George]

On Fri, 17 Aug 2001 13:59:08 +0100, "Kes Green"
<07961...@one2one.net> wrote:

>Hi all.
>I'm currently (well for about ten years actually) thinking of buying a boat
>to live on - there seems to be plenty of choice here in SW London. I don't
>earn much money (i.e. about £130 per week) and as such, could just about
>afford repayments on a £20000 marine loan (at about £70 per week). Of

Have you looked into other kinds of loan? In my experioence loans from
specialist companies are more expensive than loans from ordinary
loan-mongers. And if it's a marine mortgage I think you'll have to
have a 20% deposit. (And presumably if you default on the payments
they take you boat away?)

>course, mooring fees would be about £50 - £60 on top of that, making it
>unaffordable. I have posted to the uk.gov.social-security newsgroup and
>replies suggest that I could get housing benefit on mooring fees. I'd like
>to hear from anyone who has managed this, or who knows a bit more about it.
>I don't want to get myself into financial difficulties!
>

Is it possible to have a boat and not be in financial difficulties?

A couple of years ago we met someone who told us they had been talking
to someone else who had not been successful in getting housing benefit
for mooring fees. I think that was in Staffordshire but maybe
different DSS offices interpret the rules differently?

Good luck
--
Mike George in Braunston, UK
http://www.nbmajortom.com/
(remove -nospam to reply by email)

[P & Q Brown]

>>I have posted to the uk.gov.social-security newsgroup and
>>replies suggest that I could get housing benefit on mooring fees. I'd like
>>to hear from anyone who has managed this, or who knows a bit more about it.
>

>A couple of years ago we met someone who told us they had been talking
>to someone else who had not been successful in getting housing benefit
>for mooring fees. I think that was in Staffordshire but maybe
>different DSS offices interpret the rules differently?

The local council is responsible for administering housing benefit and
council tax benefit (that is, London Borough, Metropolitan Borough,
Unitary Authority or shire district), not the local DSS office.

It is a national scheme, so all local councils have to apply it in the
same way.

Mooring fees are counted as rent.

--
Peter Brown