Extension of Children's Maintenance

Spendless

If your cousin lives alone and not with a live-in partner then her son/daughter's maintainance loan will be based on her income. You can find out how much they'll be likely to receive on the link below
https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-calculator
If your cousin also receives additional benefits as well as her salary eg company car, private heathcare etc.  Then these will need to be added on too.
The student then needs to pay the costs,rent, bills, transport from their maintaince loan. If the loan isn't enough to cover the costs, then parent/s are 'expected' though not obliged to make up the difference. If they can't/don't/won't then child would need to find paid work to fill the gap.
The likes of Ikea usually do a student pack with the basics of just about everything for the first time student. These might be one off costs for the duation of Uni but it depends on how much stuff gets lost, broken, damaged whilst they're living away! 

maman

If the father has a good relationship with the daughter then him helping her financially through university voluntarily is probably the best way forward. I don't think applying to the courts would be the way to go as from 18 she's an adult so AFAIK he wouldn't have a legal responsibility. How any money the daughter has from her father or anywhere else (a part time job and/or loan) is spent would be for the mother and daughter to agree between them. Personally I wouldn't expect her to contribute either way but definitely not if she doesn't live at home. She's more likely to need help with living expenses as accommodation at university can be expensive. 

elsien

Beremy said:

Thank you - that sounds fairly reasonable.  I presume the children then pay some living costs to their mum then?  She needs a three bed house which she wouldn't if she lived by herself.  She obviously has the associated maintenance costs of that plus she's the one buying the duvets, pillows, etc.  

If they are going away to university then they will need to be paying their own living costs, in term time at least. When I was doing my degree I rented a flat which I stayed in during the holidays as well. I only went back to my parent's house for the occasional week.