Can I claim housing benefit as a student and single mother?

Zara19

Hello
I am 19 and a single mother to a 4 month old boy, who was completely unplanned. His father was working so all was originally okay but he ended it during the pregnancy and has not had any involvement since and I am currently waiting for CSA to get back to me.

I carried on at uni full time and my auntie who I am very close to is very helpful with the baby. I live with my mum currently who is moving to France with her husband (was planned before I was pregnant and they have brought a house and sold this one) meaning I have to find somewhere else to live by May. I can stay with my auntie temporarily if I have to but she lives in a 2 bedroom house with 3 boys (one who is very autistic) so long term it isn't do able.

My mum has said that she will act as guarantor and she has given me enough money to put down a deposit, pay first months rent and furnish the place.

My main income is student finance, although I do get 64.00 a week child tax and 20.00 a week child benefit. In total (with benefits added, I get around £1000 a month. My eligible rent is £750.00 and I will struggle to find one for that price around this area so I probably will end up having to rent one a bit higher.

Will I get housing benefit? I understand that £1000 is more than a lot of people on benefits but still not enough to cover £750 rent plus pay bills buy food and clothes etc. Also a big portion of that is spent on travel to uni and books.

I have heard from some people that I will not get any housing benefit, meaning its more beneficial to quit uni and go on income support? which I really do not want to do but it seems the only option..

nannytone_2

you will get housing benefit as you have a dependant child.
student finance will be classed as income when calculating your entitlement though.
where are you planning to live where the LHA rate is £750 a month for a 2 bed place?

elisebutt65

I was a single mum when I was at uni. The council consider student loan & grant as income, so even with 2 kids I had to pay rent. Luckily as a student I didn't pay CT. I got HB in the long summer break, when I also got IS.

I also had a childcare grant that meant I got 85% of my nursery costs back. Where are you living? Seems expensive. Can you go on the council waiting list. I had a council house 3 bed in Leamington Spa (now 3rd most desirable place in the uk apparently) and I was paying £110/week before any deductions. It went up to £140 last year, just after I gave it back to council, when I bought one.

I managed to feed & clothe kids, pay bills etc. it was tight but I got my degree & PGCE, got a teaching job & am now off all benefits. Suck in your belt, read these forums and you should manage (just).

Zara19

Sorry I meant £650 not £750, I meant that the eligible rent is £650 but I probably wont get one for anything less than £750.

Did you pay all your rent yourself or just a portion? As I feel it will be completely impossible if I don't get a housing benefit top up. I have heard that they count your student loan but do not count the special support grant when calculating benefits (this is what it says on a few uni's websites anyway)

Zara19

currently, I divide my student loan/grant by 12 instead of 8 so I make it last all year round. If I was to divide it by 8 opposed to 12 and claim income support/housing benefit in the summer how would I go about that? as I imagine the claim would be quite complex seeing as it wouldn't an all year round claim.


Have just found a website about what finance affects benefits and this is what it says: Special Support Grant (available to full-time students who started their course in September 2006 or later, and fall within the groups of students listed in the Income Support or Housing Benefit regulations)

elisebutt65

I think I qualified for about £20/week HB during term time. They didn't count CTC/CB or the childcare grant, but I also got CSA which they didn't count (I was lucky to get it half the time).

Job centre kept trying to get me to look for work which was pointless as I was off to uni every October. I basically had to sign off when I returned and then back onto IS in the summer, so not complicated.
I also had to take all the student finance paperwork to housing office in October so they could work out entitlement etc.

RS2000.

Zara19 wrote: »

Hello

I purchased a Landrover Freelander back in March with a 3 month warranty and 12 month brand new MOT from a local secondhand car garage. This was sold as having a soft top and a hard top. When we went to see the car the hard top was on and the manager showed us the soft top which was stored in the car. We asked how it would be put on and he said that he doesn't know but it would be a two man job.

I purchased the car and 2 weeks later my husband and his friend tried to put the soft top on. They ready the manual and took the hard top off but when they fetched the bag that the manager had given us with the tools in to put the soft top on 6 screws where missing. We searched the interior of the car and nothing anywhere. They put the hard top back on and the soft top had to go back in to the loft.

I contacted a landrover dealer and asked how much the pieces would be as I figured they would be cheap as they are such small screws. Well they where not cheap at all!

I contacted the garage today and the man bluntly asked what I wanted him to do. I felt very put on the spot and as if he was making me feel unreasonable for asking. I said he could at the very least contact the previous owners and ask if they have them. He said he would but if they didn't then there was nothing he could do as he gave me all the bits it came to him with.

I am wondering is legally obliged to replace the missing screws considering it was sold as having a soft top conversion and didn't note that any bits would be missing?

Don't you live with your husband?

wiltsguy_2

RS2000. wrote: »

Don't you live with your husband?

i smell a little porky too

danimcg85

Im currently a lone parent and at uni, I applied for HB but I dont get any as your loan is taken into account. They only count it over the academic year though so over the summer you can receive help.