Child moved away to uni - housing benefit?

mee1973

Hi, my son recently moved away to university, I have received the confirmation letter to give to the council confirming he is there so I will still get 25% discount for single person for council tax but it has suddenly dawned on me that I have no idea how this affects my housing benefit.

I current;y work different patterns, going from full time back down to between 16 to 24 hrs a week, so I still get a portion of housing benefit paid. However, after a recent letter informing me I will now get less due to my son going to uni it has dawned on me I can not actually afford to live.

I have searched all night online to no avail and I am starting to worry an awful lot. I have a 3 bed as I also have a 15 year old daughter so they both need their own bedrooms. Obviously my son will still need his own room when he returns in the holidays and when the 3/4 year uni course finishes he will be returning home.

Are the council expecting me to move into a 2 bed and will not pay any housing benefit for him? I dfon't understand how this would work for when he returns home? Basically they have taken away so much from child tax and are now expecting me to pay even more rent, meaning I have lost £100 a week, this is physically impossible to do as I live on the bread line anyway.

Really appreciate anyone else in the same situation giving me the heads up. I'll be straight down the council tomorrow but until then I am trying to find out everything I can regarding this situation. I don't want to lose my home Which by the way is a housing association specifically for those on low incomes... yet still impossible for me to pay the majority of the rent on what I earn - even if I work full time as I am on a low wage.

Very worried.

paddedjohn

There are a few threads already about this very subject, read them and it may put your mind at ease. One of the threads is titled 'daughter gone to university and explains everything.

mee1973

There are, my apologies, have just been reading through them before checking back here.

Spoken to my son who seems to think he is actually at uni for 38 weeks of the year so hopefully this will help my case. If not I have no idea what I will be doing.

Anyway, sorry forum for making a post on a similar if not the same subject - I was just in a bit of a panic this morning.

paddedjohn wrote: »

There are a few threads already about this very subject, read them and it may put your mind at ease. One of the threads is titled 'daughter gone to university and explains everything.

BigAunty

The following thread has some info on the matter and it also contains a link to another related thread.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4184475

I've never really understood the official position on this, find the whole matter ambiguous and confusing and I also don't understand why a full time Uni student away for most of the year (and who may receive funding that is supposed to last them for the entire year) may get classed as a primary resident in a property that they visit for a minority of the time.

mee1973

After phoning the council this morning it appears they now deem him as of leaving home and will no longer pay to keep his room for him. I explained the circumstances and they made a note to discuss with their boss.

So in a nut shell it seems we are being punished for him wanting to further his education. Either I move to a smaller 2 bed home which means he has no home to come to, or he leaves university, returns home and finds a job. How ridiculous.

BigAunty

mee1973 wrote: »

Aft...

So in a nut shell it seems we are being punished for him wanting to further his education. Either I move to a smaller 2 bed home which means he has no home to come to, or he leaves university, returns home and finds a job. How ridiculous.

If you believe that they are not applying the right regulations or you think this policy should be changed, contact your MP. They are there to serve you.

Or you could get a full time job - your youngest is 15.

mee1973

BigAunty wrote: »

If you believe that they are not applying the right regulations or you think this policy should be changed, contact your MP. They are there to serve you.

Or you could get a full time job - your youngest is 15.

I do work full time, my job is seasonal so drops to part time at certain times of the year. However, even while working full time I was not in a position to pay full rent as I am on a very low wage. This isn't a case of me being lazy and not working. By the end of the month as my hrs have dropped again I am also going to be starting myself as self employed as I know if I can get clients I'll be on a much higher hourly rate. However this won't happen immediately and could affect my hrs at work when my boss finds out.

And yes, I was going to contact my MP as soon as I find out what the council have to say tomorrow.

Thanks for your input.

pmlindyloo

mee1973 wrote: »

After phoning the council this morning it appears they now deem him as of leaving home and will no longer pay to keep his room for him. I explained the circumstances and they made a note to discuss with their boss.

So in a nut shell it seems we are being punished for him wanting to further his education. Either I move to a smaller 2 bed home which means he has no home to come to, or he leaves university, returns home and finds a job. How ridiculous.

You really need to appeal/challenge this decision.

You can get some help from CAB or a Welfare Benefits Officer.

I have found another useful thread (don't think it has been quoted before - apologies if it has)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2284961

If you read this you will note that this is a decision that is often challenged and many housing officers are unaware of the legal decision(s) about this matter.

Since this will have major implications for you go to CAB and get some help.

May be worth printing out the judgements.

It is possible, of course, that once the 'boss' intervenes then the decision will be reversed.

mee1973

Thanks, I did read that thread previously but I wonder if things have changed due to that thread being made in 2010.

Until I know what the boss at the council say there isn't much I can do. If it is correct then it means after all bills, rent and petrol I'd have £25 a week to feed myself and daughter, clothe and whatever other necessities there is. That's impossible.

pmlindyloo wrote: »

You really need to appeal/challenge this decision.

You can get some help from CAB or a Welfare Benefits Officer.

I have found another useful thread (don't think it has been quoted before - apologies if it has)


If you read this you will note that this is a decision that is often challenged and many housing officers are unaware of the legal decision(s) about this matter.

Since this will have major implications for you go to CAB and get some help.

May be worth printing out the judgements.

It is possible, of course, that once the 'boss' intervenes then the decision will be reversed.

pmlindyloo

mee1973 wrote: »

Thanks, I did read that thread previously but I wonder if things have changed due to that thread being made in 2010.

Until I know what the boss at the council say there isn't much I can do. If it is correct then it means after all bills, rent and petrol I'd have £25 a week to feed myself and daughter, clothe and whatever other necessities there is. That's impossible.

I hope you have good news about this.

Shelter are very good at intervening on people's behalf so why don't you give them a call?

http://england.shelter.org.uk/about_us/contact_us

I have just read (dated last year) of someone in the same position as you who contacted Shelter who took on the case for her and won!

BigAunty

mee1973 wrote: »

...

Until I know what the boss at the council say there isn't much I can do. If it is correct then it means after all bills, rent and petrol I'd have £25 a week to feed myself and daughter, clothe and whatever other necessities there is. That's impossible.

You've been given plenty of info and options on how to appeal this.

But download the MSE budget planner and work through the site to identify how to slash living expenses - this site is stuffed with info on how to live frugally. It also has info on how to up income, too.

You may very well win your appeal but if a minor HB claim is catapulting you into penury, and your younger daughter leaves home in a few years, you are going to go through the same hardship again.

I know you've lost much more because you cite the loss of child tax credits and presumably child benefit for your son (prob around £65 per week) but you don't actually need to buy him clothes, pay for school trips and school equipment,etc anymore. It doesn't matter whether he went into HE, an apprenticeship, a job or moved onto JSA, these benefits that you've had for many years were always going to end.

For the majority of the year, you don't have to buy him food, nor pay for his energy consumption. If things are tough tell him to save some of his full student grant and loan and his part time employment income to pay for household keep when he returns.

We commonly see many posts this time of year from bewildered parents who haven't anticipated the loss of child related benefits when their childs are no longer considered as dependents, who focus on the loss but not on the savings, who have treated the child related benefits as general household income and are strugging with the fact that their main option is to work more or reign in spending.