PLEASE can anyone advise on ex student and money?

Brightness

Hi All,

In a bit of a quandary here. Yesterday my son brought home a female friend (not his g/f, an ex school friend). She is 18 and had been booted out by her mother. She started uni last year (on a course that her mother wanted her to do) & dropped out after a week. She earns between £220 & £225 per fortnight for 35 hours a week but has to pay £90 a week out of this to the uni as she couldn't 'sell' her room.

I am letting her stay here short term but it's not an ideal situation as a) we haven't really got room and b) I can't afford to support her as well as my own two kids. My eldest contributes towards the household expenses & youngest is at college so we get tax credits & child benefit for him & he works to pay for his car, nights out etc - he's also saved quite a bit for uni. This young lady says she has nothing spare after she's paid stuff she owes so I think she's expecting to live here for free - yes, that was a pig flying past the window!

Is there any help she can get or any benefits she can claim? If we hadn't taken her in she'd have had nowhere to go & as I said, I have agreed it in the short term but tbh don't think I would cope very well long term as disabled and have long term health probs.

Would be really grateful for any advice. Thanks in advance :beer:

dmg24

Depending on how expensive an area you live in, she may be entitled to a small amount of LHA. This would be based on the shared facilities/ single room rate due to her age. Her outgoings would not be taken into account when calculating this, it would be based on her full income.

More information on LHA can be found here.

Oldernotwiser

Why can't she live in the university room she pays rent for?

If you could find out when her rental contract is up, she'd have money available to pay you rent from that point.

It sounds to me as if her mother doesn't want her freeloading at home either so I really don't think that you should let her leech off you in this way.

tooldle

Chances are that she cannot access the Uni accommodation as she is no longer a student. However if she signed a contract for the full academic year, she will continue to pay for this unless the accommodation office can find another tennant.
How about trying to negotiate a payment plan with the Uni, such that she then has a reasonable amount to live day to day

AnxiousMum

I'm really surprised that if she dropped out after one week, that the uni have not been able to let out her room - there is usually a shortage at the beginning of the year for on campus accommodation, with many unis putting students up in hotel rooms because under certain conditions they are guaranteed certain housing for the first year. I woiuld've thought that her room would've been snapped up rather quickly from the waiting list after just one week. Is there any way she can confirm if the room is actually sitting vacant? I'll bet it isn't! From there, she could negotiate with them as to a payment plan.

Brightness

dmg24 wrote: »

Depending on how expensive an area you live in, she may be entitled to a small amount of LHA. This would be based on the shared facilities/ single room rate due to her age. Her outgoings would not be taken into account when calculating this, it would be based on her full income.

More information on LHA can be found here.

Thanks dmg24, that's helpful :~) Never thought of that.

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Why can't she live in the university room she pays rent for?

If you could find out when her rental contract is up, she'd have money available to pay you rent from that point.

It sounds to me as if her mother doesn't want her freeloading at home either so I really don't think that you should let her leech off you in this way.

Her room is in Bradford and it is 160 miles away. She was 'homesick' & wanted to come home. She also didn't want to do the course and said she felt very 'out of it' as hardly anyone else there spoke English. I have told her to find out when the agreement is up. Thing is, I don't want 'rent' from her I want them to help her find somewhere of her own and some money to live on. We haven't really got enough room for her as our bedrooms are tiny and I have two kids of my own to think about.

I am beginning to regret letting her move in already & told her it was a temporary measure. I also said that I cannot afford to keep another mouth to feed. Why oh why do kids always catch you unawares? I was in agony having just been stuck in a car after a 200 mile journey & have nerve damage in my back :mad:

AnxiousMum wrote: »

I'm really surprised that if she dropped out after one week, that the uni have not been able to let out her room - there is usually a shortage at the beginning of the year for on campus accommodation, with many unis putting students up in hotel rooms because under certain conditions they are guaranteed certain housing for the first year. I woiuld've thought that her room would've been snapped up rather quickly from the waiting list after just one week. Is there any way she can confirm if the room is actually sitting vacant? I'll bet it isn't! From there, she could negotiate with them as to a payment plan.

We wondered that too. Both my lads are going to uni this year, one staying at home and travelling and the other planning on living in halls but travelling home on weekends for his job. My hubby said she should go up there to see if her room has been taken or not.

tooldle wrote: »

Chances are that she cannot access the Uni accommodation as she is no longer a student. However if she signed a contract for the full academic year, she will continue to pay for this unless the accommodation office can find another tennant.
How about trying to negotiate a payment plan with the Uni, such that she then has a reasonable amount to live day to day

Thanks I have already said this to her and this morning I told her that I am making an appointment at CAB for us to go and see if they can help her to find somewhere and some help etc. Her face was like a scared rabbit caught in headlights. I am now not usre how much truth I am being told but won't be lied to. She is also able to spend money on eBay and go to the cinema so again I feel that I am being conned....

I am going to go and have a word with her Mum and see what's really happened there.

Thanks all, am going to do some more checking up and see what I come up with. Great advice and help though :beer:

Oldernotwiser

Brightness wrote: »

Thanks I have already said this to her and this morning I told her that I am making an appointment at CAB for us to go and see if they can help her to find somewhere and some help etc. Her face was like a scared rabbit caught in headlights. I am now not usre how much truth I am being told but won't be lied to. She is also able to spend money on eBay and go to the cinema so again I feel that I am being conned....

I am going to go and have a word with her Mum and see what's really happened there.

Thanks all, am going to do some more checking up and see what I come up with. Great advice and help though :beer:

I think you've hit the nail on the head as her story really doesn't seem to add up. Good luck in your investigations and do come back to give us an update as we're all nosy as hell!:)

fresian_cow

Good luck finding out the truth, it does seem a bit odd that they didn't manage to let out her room. On the plus side for her she probably won't be required to pay for it for too much longer as most courses end over the next month. Has she said how long she has to pay it for?

noelphobic

Brightness wrote: »

She earns between £220 & £225 per fortnight for 35 hours a week but has to pay £90 a week out of this to the uni as she couldn't 'sell' her room.
:beer:

If that is all she earns then surely she is earning below the minimum wage? Are you sure she is telling you the truth?

Oldernotwiser

noelphobic wrote: »

If that is all she earns then surely she is earning below the minimum wage? Are you sure she is telling you the truth?

NMW for an 18 year old is 4.83ph.

noelphobic

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

NMW for an 18 year old is 4.83ph.

yes, I know. The OP said how much this girl was earning in a fortnight and it seems to work out at a lot less than that.