The Student Room Group

Student loan and housing benefit

I'm currently a single mum studying a undergraduate degree and receiving part housing benefit. Once I started my course I was instructed to print out my student loan entitlement summery and send it to my local housing benefit department on this summary is states that department of work and pensions are only allowed to count up to £8202 of my my maintaince loan as income and lists the benefits that are affected housing benefit being one of them. But after receiving a letter back from housing benefit they totally ignored this and counted it all any way working out an amount rent I should pay that I simply cannot afford. Is anyone else dealing with a similar situation or has delt with this need some advice??????

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Original post by Clareice
I'm currently a single mum studying a undergraduate degree and receiving part housing benefit. Once I started my course I was instructed to print out my student loan entitlement summery and send it to my local housing benefit department on this summary is states that department of work and pensions are only allowed to count up to £8202 of my my maintaince loan as income and lists the benefits that are affected housing benefit being one of them. But after receiving a letter back from housing benefit they totally ignored this and counted it all any way working out an amount rent I should pay that I simply cannot afford. Is anyone else dealing with a similar situation or has delt with this need some advice??????


You're best approaching the Citizens Advice Service - they'll have the most experience in holding councils to account on housing benefit issues in your area.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/
Housing Benefit rules are that Parents Learning Allowance is disregarded. The Maintenance Loan has £693 for books & travel taken off, the rest is divided by 39/42 weeks (I think it depends on your uni term dates) to get how much your loan is per week, £10 week is taken off that and the rest is regarded.

Trying to get Housing Benefit to follow the rules correctly can be hard. I had a lot of problems getting them to accept that access course isn't higher education, was told that even with a letter from college, the words higher education in the course title could mean it having to be treated as higher education but it would be up to the decision maker. Luckily the decision maker read the letter from college and said course was further education.


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Reply 3
Can I just ask if council taking student or any kind of loan into account as income and want a share from it in the form of rent or whatever ,Will they help us when it comes to pay that loan back???
No way would they help you pay it back. Which is why it’s a total joke that they consider it as income. I’m in the same boat as the original lady who started the discussion. I am a single mum currently studying and the council have considering all of my maintenance loan and grant as income and on the process of trying to get it sorted, as they want me to pay for all of my rent which is too expensive.
Reply 5
Original post by Fharzana19
No way would they help you pay it back. Which is why it’s a total joke that they consider it as income. I’m in the same boat as the original lady who started the discussion. I am a single mum currently studying and the council have considering all of my maintenance loan and grant as income and on the process of trying to get it sorted, as they want me to pay for all of my rent which is too expensive.


Hi farzana,thanks for your reply,im a single parent as well and its really frustrating to even imagine that how this system work.dont mind asking what is your council or borough ?
Reply 6
What if i dont even bother telling my council?
Reply 7
What if i dont even tell them?
Original post by Rahaan12
Hi farzana,thanks for your reply,im a single parent as well and its really frustrating to even imagine that how this system work.dont mind asking what is your council or borough ?


I’m with luton borough council and it’s the absolute worst. I’ve only just started studying and also a single parent and I’m in temporary accommodation. I wouldn’t have had such a problem but my rent is so high so I work part time to help ease myself but housing benefit only take income into consideration and not expenses. I’m still in the process of trying to get it sorted but it just frustrates me so much because the maintenance loan is a loan and you have to repay it so how could they consider it as income. And if they do then why can’t they consider helping you to repay it.
Original post by Rahaan12
What if i dont even tell them?


That would be fraud.

And why would they help you pay it back?
Original post by Tiger Rag
That would be fraud.

And why would they help you pay it back?


They wouldn’t help you pay it back. You would need to declare that your receiving maintenance loan because it’s not something that you can hide as it’s not cash payment.
Original post by Fharzana19
I’m with luton borough council and it’s the absolute worst. I’ve only just started studying and also a single parent and I’m in temporary accommodation. I wouldn’t have had such a problem but my rent is so high so I work part time to help ease myself but housing benefit only take income into consideration and not expenses. I’m still in the process of trying to get it sorted but it just frustrates me so much because the maintenance loan is a loan and you have to repay it so how could they consider it as income. And if they do then why can’t they consider helping you to repay it.

Hi farzana
I know how you feel
I live in london and also work part time
As a single parent its really hard to take in th whole system.but i go to luton very often
Got family there.i was planning to move down there
Original post by Rahaan12
Hi farzana
I know how you feel
I live in london and also work part time
As a single parent its really hard to take in th whole system.but i go to luton very often
Got family there.i was planning to move down there


Sorry
I probably didnt make any sense on my last reply
I was preparing some food and texting at the same time
After a hard day at work,its realy hard to make any sense...lol
Original post by Rahaan12
Hi farzana
I know how you feel
I live in london and also work part time
As a single parent its really hard to take in th whole system.but i go to luton very often
Got family there.i was planning to move down there

I always thought rent in luton are lot cheaper
London is the worst believe me
Reply 14
Hi did you get any help as i am in same situation plz help if you got any further information
Reply 15
Original post by Clareice
I'm currently a single mum studying a undergraduate degree and receiving part housing benefit. Once I started my course I was instructed to print out my student loan entitlement summery and send it to my local housing benefit department on this summary is states that department of work and pensions are only allowed to count up to £8202 of my my maintaince loan as income and lists the benefits that are affected housing benefit being one of them. But after receiving a letter back from housing benefit they totally ignored this and counted it all any way working out an amount rent I should pay that I simply cannot afford. Is anyone else dealing with a similar situation or has delt with this need some advice??????


Hello x
Did u get any help sorting this problem as i have received eviction notice bcs hb havr stopped paying my rent bcs of maintaince loan i am really panic at the moment am singe parent n full time student i am really struggling but getting no help no where
Original post by Rahada
Hello x
Did u get any help sorting this problem as i have received eviction notice bcs hb havr stopped paying my rent bcs of maintaince loan i am really panic at the moment am singe parent n full time student i am really struggling but getting no help no where


Hi there. I did get everything sorted out as some of my loan was a special grant and they had to exclude thag. Unfortunately I don’t really get to use much of my loan as my rent is very high and I have to use my loan to pay that. I use whatever wages I have as spending money.
You should still receive housing benefit although may not be much as they count your loan as income. But your tax credits are not affected by your loan and should still receive the same amount as your did before becoming a student. As well as this, full time students don’t need to pay council tax.

Hope I’ve helped in some way
Reply 17
Housing benefit was paying my full rent previously which was 200 pounds a week and now they will pay 23 pounds a week Do u get housing benefit with such huge reducion???My student finance also includes special spport element as well unfortunately i cant work at the moment as i have 18 months old and things are getting worse as they take ages to reply as well
My weekly rent is just less than that, however before I was a student I used to pay around £45 a week meaning on rent HB paid majority of it. But now mine has reduced significantly where I receive about £45 a week I think and I’m paying the rest.
It is really bad that they can reduce your HB that much, but they also did that to me. I struggled a lot at first but I do work and my loan covers my rent.
Hi all, do you have to take the maintenance loan?I'm wondering whether he be better off just not taking it and keeping the housing benefit as it is. At least I won't have so much to repay then! Thanks

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