Hi
I just read your question. When you apply for HB, you should make sure you have got a tenancy agreement-this will avoid the Local Authority treating your tenancy as a contrived leting or not a 'commercial agreement'. Usually HB is not paid under these circumstances. In addition, the fact you own another proeprty that you do not live in usually affects HB (as any capital over �16000.00 prevents you claming beenfit and any capital over �6000 affects the amount of benefit you are entitled to caim also) BUT there are exceptions to this rule. The exeption is that:
if you a show you are taking resonable steps to dispose of a proeprty its valued can be ignored for up to ix months and sometimes longer (for example in dvorce proceedings). "Reasonable steps" could be such things as having the property on the market or instrucing a estate agent to deal with it, furtehrmore could be going through ancilary discussions if getting a divorce or if getting bought out... I would strongl advise you to apply for Hb and to also get legal advice because if you arerefued you coulapeal on the above grounds. Have a lok at comunity legal advice website and get welfre benefit advice. Hope this helps.