What to do? Can't afford to eat.

Fire_Fox

SlinkyFISH wrote: »

I am 19 years old and living with my student OH in shared rented accommodation with friends.
I cannot claim couples jobseekers allowance as my student OH is a student on a degree and according to local JS office, doing a degree isn't a full time course (even though it is..), even though we live as independents in the same house (so I can't claim on a single jobseekers claim).

I

This does not make sense. The Jobcentre do recognise full time degrees as full time courses, they go on what the university classifies the course as, not how many hours per week of study there is. Is your OH enrolled on a full time degree and entitled to full student loan (and possibly grant) or are they enrolled on a part time course and not entitled to student finance? How many credits are they doing each term/ semester? I wonder if you have simply told the Jobcentre how many contact hours there are?

Arg

tinktinktinkerbell wrote: »

i know but they are the rules, trust me i know someone who tried that, said he and his partner didnt share a bed but it didnt matter as they were romantically involved

its as it should be, why should a couple be able to claim as singles just because they dont share a bed, its not right

Why should they have to claim as a couple in the first place?

karenx

simple answer- because they are a couple!!

Arg

How's it any different than roommates?

fleagle21

Have you tried a temping agency (sorry if you have and I've missed that along the posts somewhere...) I am a full time student, due to graduate this summer and I've worked the past two summers as a temp for search recruitment, each time being found something in less than a week. Good luck, anyhow

tinktinktinkerbell

Arg wrote: »

How's it any different than roommates?

because the government says it is

Firey668

Just move out to your own flat.

You can get a flat nextdoor to him, and can then go and visit him at his flat and sleepover with him as often as you want.



If you get your own place you can claim jobseekers allowance ot pay for food and bills,
housing benefit to pay all the rent,
and council tax benefit to pay all the council tax.


Simple obvious solution.

System

Firey668 wrote: »

Just move out to your own flat.

You can get a flat nextdoor to him, and can then go and visit him at his flat and sleepover with him as often as you want.



If you get your own place you can claim jobseekers allowance ot pay for food and bills,
housing benefit to pay all the rent,
and council tax benefit to pay all the council tax.


Simple obvious solution.

With the only downside that the DWP would see through this and class it as fraud anyway..

sindygirl58

I am so sorry to read of your situation.

however,moving to your own flat will be tricky, as you wil need a deposit and a month rent in advance, before the benefits start to pay the rent. I rent a flat out, and this is the norm. I did let a man move in as I trusted him, and after 2 months am still waiting for the rent money to start.

Firey668

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

With the only downside that the DWP would see through this and class it as fraud anyway..

Please explain how any part of that would be an illegal criminal offence??! :eek::money:


You are forgetting that the dwp and benefits department have absolutely no power-of-choice when it comes to paying out benefits,
BUT,
the people claiming the benefits have unlimited power of choice.


The dwp have to pay the claimant the rate for 2kids if they have 2kids, have to pay the rate for a london flat if they live in london,
have to pay the full cost of council tax benefit... ect

They have no 'choice' about this whatsoever, if the person making the claim meets all the criteria then they automatically are legally entitled to that money, and the dwp have no choice in the matter.


However the person claiming has unlimited choice,
as they can choose to have no kids or 6kids if they want, can choose to live in a £300pm rent or a £3,000per month rent,
And in relevance to the OP,
They can choose to have as many sexual partners and relationships as they want, and breakup or alter those relationships as frequently as they want without having to answer to anyone about it ever.



The huge mistake that the dwp made about the benefits situation for people in relationships vs single people is that its physically impossible to control and police something that is unquantifiable.

But thats exactly what girlfriend/boyfriend relationships are, unquantifiable.


Many people choose to stay single and just have sex with many different partners, but to not actually 'date' any of those partners,
others choose to move from relationship-to-relationship every few days-weeks,
others choose to do casual but very longterm relationships where they live apart and only see eachother a few times a month.

And so its impossible for the dwp to 'quantify and keep track' of when someone is in an ''actual-relationship'',
as the person has the right to change their relationship status every single day, 30x per month.

And to go on as many dates, spend as much time as they want, and have as much sex as they like with someone else, but still remain not in an actual relationship with anyone.



So the OP is fully within her rights to decide at any time of any day of the week that she likes, that she doesn't want to be in an offical boyfriend/girlfriend relationship with their current partner,
and so to move into a different flat and start claiming benefits for themself as an independent indiviual.

They can still go and visit that other person as often as they like,
as the dwp have no authority to say who you can and cant be friends with, who you can and cant have sex with, or do whatever you want with.