Submitted by Jessica pickford on Wednesday 21st January 2026
Published on Friday 20th February 2026
Current status: Open
Open until: Thursday 20th August 2026
Current Signatures: 26
(count is updated approximately hourly)
UC must cover housing costs following marriage breakdown in forces accommodation
Following marriage breakdown in families living in in forces accommodation, the party occupying the property while seeking alternative accommodation can be classed as a 'trespasser', and may therefore be ineligible for support with housing costs through Universal Credit.
This can make it incredibly difficult for spouses going through a marriage separation. The word 'Trespass' means Universal Credit will often not help with the housing element of Universal Credit, so the spouse is eligible for the full cost. The spouse is given a breakdown of this cost for example water, council tax, garage rent, house rent and are expected to pay this rent and charges. This can leave families in financial difficulty, in debt when already struggling.
If you want to sign this petition (as opposed to merely discuss it), you need to do that on the government's e-Petitions website.
216.73.216.219 Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:51:06 +0100