ok, i agree with alot of the posts on this thread especially the single parents, living with full time partners etc. in fact i know a number of couples that are young and only move in together because its so cheap and theya re out of parents homes. in respect to the rent ceilings, i personally many years ago, rented a house with my son, i received rent allowance and worked part time, i was honest with all my hours etc, but in order to live in a nice area, with nice schools etc and nice reputation, i told CWO that the rent was 650 instead of 850, and the landlord signed everything i needed ( sure he was getting an extra 200 cash a month), it meant i struggled alot to pay my rent but it was what i had to do, as on council lists i would be there for years. thankfully i have single purchased a house but at the time, although it was wrong to do, i felt safe and i didnt fall into the vicous cylcle of bein on benefits and not coming off them! i have numerous friends that all still claim benefits ,drive nice cars, rent houses fair enough, but have the large flat screen tvs and above an beyond all the mod cons. rent allowance fraud is extremely annoying and should be monitorred more closely, but at the same time, the ceilings need to be looked at. for example, for a decent home in a decent area the prices are alot higher than in disadvantaged areas! not all single mums should result in living here because they are no longer with the father no matter what the circumstances!