Can someone stay in my council house?

In this brief guide, we will answer the question “can someone stay in my council house?”. This is a question most council tenants have due to visiting friends.

Can someone stay in my council house?

Yes, someone can stay in your council has every now and then but you must ensure you are not subletting your council house or taking any rent payment as a result of this person staying in your council house.

Steps to take

Avoid having the person stay over at your council house for more than 3 nights a week.

Avoid having possessions of the person at your property.

Avoid mixing your finances.

If you are worried if someone staying over in your council house may be a serious issue then see if you can pass the 5 tests of cohabitation.

•are they members of the same household?

•what degree of financial support is there?

•is there a sexual relationship?

•are they parents of the same child or children?

•is there public acknowledgement of the ‘husband and wife’ or partners relationship?

From the answers, you have given to this question you should be able to tell if the council will see someone staying over at your house as an issue.

If you are still in doubt on whether someone can stay in your council house then you should go and see your local citizen’s advice bureaus and at last resort call up a local council( not your local council and ask them), chances are the policies at this council will be similar to your council. 

You may also want to call your own local council and ask them but you should avoid informing them of your identity to avoid an investigation being started and you potentially losing your benefits.

In summary the issues about if someone can stay in your council house and how long for boil down to if any benefits fraud is being committed by you. If you are knowingly misstating the facts and appearing to be a single mother claiming benefits when you have a working partner then you may find yourself in a lot of trouble soon.

In this brief guide, we answered the question “can someone stay in my council house?”.

If you need financial advice and you live in the UK then you could contact the Money Advice service over the phone or via chat for impartial advice.

You can also contact the debt charity “Step Change” if you are in debt and need help.