Advice for filling in section 7 of PR1

dizzielizzy

My boyfriend has recently moved in with me so for the first year I am having my student finance assessed of his income and this is giving me a headache!!

What I was hoping someone could help me with is section 7 of the PR1 form. Does anybody know exactly what the student finance company will take into account in regards to financial committments. I'm assuming that rent would be taken into account but can I also put figures down for utilities such as water, gas and electric? Is there any other financial committments that I can put down?

Hope this makes sense and I would be really grateful for any help x

DrFluffy

If you do not have a legally recognised relationship, there is little they can do. I wouldn't declare it. Treat him as a lodger - i.e. declare that you have an income from him, but leave it at that.

dizzielizzy

Thanks for your reply but what about the fact that I also claim housing benefit, would I not get done for fraud?

GhostBusterDuster

You might be better ringing them, alternativly I think there is a live chat feature on the website

DrFluffy

Housinf benefit and being a student? How did you pull that one off? The rules regarding housing benefit are very different and you do have to declare peeps living with you - but they do not have to be involved with you romantically for you to have to do this

Ebany

Well, on the basis of the fact you are completing section 7, presumably you have a child, which would explain how you can claim HB and be a student. I know nothing about that side of things though.

Reading the notes for that section, it states 'Financial commitments to include would be insurance policies such as household or medical insurance, life assurance premiums, mortgage repayments or maintenance payments for a dependant.'

This makes me unsure about the likes of rent, as it does include a mortgage...
I would be doubtful they will allow household bills as I would expect them to have listed at least one as an example if this were allowed.

I'm not even sure about including your partners earnings. From the reading of this section, they may be relevant, though in other sections any relationship needs to be a lot more official (it wasn't until my husband and I married that they would stop demanding his parents details...)

All in all, sorry, no idea. I did recently have to send them a question through their online system and they got back to me very quickly though, so I would suggest that, or give them a call.