Cany anyone help my friend please

KEATERGREYHOUND_2

She 24 and living away from home. She is a student but is having to take 8 months off of Uni due to personal reasons.
She works in the same place and me and earns less than £100 a week.
She finding it hard to make ends meet and I have been lending her money which she does give me back.
I asked her about housing benefit and she says that she cannot claim as shes a student. We live in Leicester and hers is a private rented house.
Can anyone please give me any advice as to why she cannot claim. I have looked on the website and to me it looks like she can
Thanks in advance

CIS

students are exempt from claiming HB in most cases as they live in a halls of residence

but: (note that last paragraph)

Where you live
If you are in a hall of residence or other accommodation rented from your educational establishment, you will not be able to claim Housing Benefit during your period of study. The only exception is where your college does not own the accommodation but rents it for your use. (This is not the case if your college rents your accommodation from another educational establishment. Colleges are not allowed to let others manage their accommodation just to enable students to claim Housing Benefit).

If you pay rent to someone who you live with and they are a close relative or your tenancy or rental agreement is not on a commercial basis you will not be entitled to Housing Benefit.

In any other accommodation you can claim Housing Benefit - even during your period of study.

http://www.bournemouth.gov.uk/Residents/CouncilTax/Benefits/Housing/housingbenefitandstudents.asp

chugalug

I don't think it's anything to do with whether or not your friend lives in halls, it's to do with students being excluded from claiming any benefits unless they fall into certain categories ie responsibility for a child, disability etc. Someone might be able to advise on the student's board but I think she'll be excluded if she's only taking a break from her course - if she's finished and is going to reapply for a new course then she may be able to claim benefits as if she were unemployed. The benefit situation for students can be very complicated - she can always go to her local CAB for advice or even her student welfare officer. HTH

Phil_Welsh

KEATERGREYHOUND wrote:

She 24 and living away from home. She is a student but is having to take 8 months off of Uni due to personal reasons.
She works in the same place and me and earns less than £100 a week.
She finding it hard to make ends meet and I have been lending her money which she does give me back.
I asked her about housing benefit and she says that she cannot claim as shes a student. We live in Leicester and hers is a private rented house.
Can anyone please give me any advice as to why she cannot claim. I have looked on the website and to me it looks like she can
Thanks in advance

What are her reasons for taking 8months off from Uni as this may change her chances of claiming other benefits?

KEATERGREYHOUND_2

Basically and im wondering how to put this where we work we had a major incident. The police classed this incident as a riot and we were both involved. She was at this point training to be a teacher and was in her last few months of training. This riot has had a real bad effect on my friend and her Dr advised her to take a short break from Uni. She still attends councelling. Since then her Nan died which had left her in a very bad way. We still have the court case to attend over this riot. Basically through no fault of her own its been a bad 6 months for her. Shes going back to Uni in Feb and will qualify in June

Fran

***Boardguide comment***

Hi,

I've moved your thread to the Student board as they might have some more ideas.

Has she asked in college?

melancholly

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=179491

this thread might help - it's not a long term solution, but there's a chance that your friend might be able to apply for a sum of money that could help keep her head above water. i don't know if being on a break will make a major difference, but it's worth asking.

is there any way she can find some extra source of income? I don't know if she's ready to do lots of work, it might not be appropriate....

good luck!