Student help with housing costs.

studentdaughter

Hope someone can give some advice please. My Daughter is a second year student and is in reciept of the student loan (about £5000), she is looking at renting a flat with her boyfriend who is 20 and does agency work whenever he can get it but at present amounts to about 25hrs per week.
The flat is cheaper than student digs at £375 per month and we realise she wont be eligable to any help due to her loan money but we are unsure whether or not her boyfriend will be due to his erratic/low income so 2 questions really.............

1) Will he be able to get any help especially when his hours are nil or will my daughter have to support him with her loan?

2) Since my daughter is a student, will her boyfriend have to pay council tax and would he be eligable for the single person discount of 25%?

thanks in advamce.

studentdaughter

Anyone please.

enabledebra

For benefit purposes they would be a couple household so both of their incomes (subject to disregarded income) would be taken into account when deciding Housing Benefit entitlement- he would claim HB for the household.

If his income fluctuates HB might try to average it out but it can be complex depending on the circumstances (see extract form guidance to decision makers re HB and JSA below)

Her student income is ignored in July and August so there may be an increased chance of HB then.

Yes, he will have to pay council tax and there should be a 25% single occupier discount if they are the only adults in the property. He can get council tax benefit to help with the bill but only if household income is low enough.

Assuming your daughter is under 25 he isn't classed as her partner for Student funding so his earnings won't affect her award.

Housing Benefit
Variable work patterns
W2.52 If a claimant’s regular pattern of work varies, ie they do not do the same number of hours every
week, and there is a recognisable cycle of work, average their weekly income over that cycle.
Any periods when the claimant does not do any work should be included if they are part of
their normal cycle of work.
W2.53 If the claimant’s pattern of work varies, and there is no recognisable cycle of work, or the
amount of the claimant’s income fluctuates, then average the weekly income using the last
• two payments if those payments are one month or more apart
• four payments if the last two payments are less than one month apart
Note: Payments here mean the last payments before the claim was made or treated as
made, or if there is a subsequent supersession the last payments before the date of the
supersession
HB Reg 29; CTB Reg 19
• any other means which will allow you to more accurately reflect the claimant’s earnings

JSA

Averaging of amounts
15452 The weekly amount of a person’s income may be averaged1 if the income varies or the regular pattern of work means that the claimant does not work every week. The DM should average over
1.
a complete cycle if there is a recognisable cycle of work or
2.
five weeks or
3.
another period if this means a more accurate weekly amount can be calculated.
1 SS Ben (C of E) Regs, reg 8(3)