underoccupied if child at university

[Marney]

is it the norm that where i live if you have a child at university you are underoccupying your home . apparently i have to pay about fourteen pounds rent per week now for my daughters room when she is at university as she is on an nhs course she doesnt get a lot of holiday . Ive also got to pay the new council tax contribution .Having a very low income im already in a mess and have just been asking to borrow money for the first time in my life which im already expecting to have to do .Well when your water bill for the year takes around eight weeks of your income what hope have u . Ive looked for more work with no luck im not young Are there towns where if u have a child at university they still are allowed a home . I have never been in debt before but i have no choice if i think too much i want to end everything i suppose im just one of the millions now in this country who feel like this .WHY dont politicians realise some people just dont earn enough and never ever be able to

Firstly, is the bedroom 9' x 7' or smaller? Take a look here.

Does your daughter intend to come home after she has finished at university?

The size and her intention to return home in the holidays and after her studies are both grounds on which you can base an appeal - put it in writing to the council.

Olgaga I haven't clicked on that link, but if it's telling the OP to measure her bedroom to exempt herself from the bedroom tax then it is bollocks.

I've seen that posted in various places Little is it not true?

No. read this

Tbh, on a site where many parents talk comfortably about paying the entire annual rent for their student DC, I'm a bit shocked to see so many posters suggesting a student from a poor home should be obliged to subsidise her own mother's rent in these circumstances.

It's truly shit Marney and I feel for you.
I live in an extremely rural area, ds is of to university in September, which leaves me with an 'extra' bedroom.
I'm 56, work seasonally, and where the fuck is the one bedroomed house I'm supposed to move to.
I could, of course give up my HA home and move to a bedsit in my nearest city (60 miles away) and possibly find full time work in something.
Yeah right, because in this economic climate they're crying out for women of my age.
I truly hate this Government.

Nursing doesn't really have term times, it's placement or Uni, multiple cohorts, and therefore doesn't always sit comfortably within the academic calendar.

YANBU op I don't think this under occupancy should apply whilst someone is in full time education, but should come into affect when they've graduated.

Tbh, on a site where many parents talk comfortably about paying the entire annual rent for their student DC

These people really are the minority. My dad is comfortable money-wise and still cannot afford to pay my younger sister's rent at uni. Most students have to work, even students on placements. It's going to get worse as many NHS bursaries are being cut.

The dd wouldn't be subsidising her own mothers rent. As an adult, she would be paying her own keep from the bursary she is given that is supposed to cover accommodation. The dd may find it more affordable if she doesn't come home during the holidays, and stays in the other home, if that's possible, depending on what type of accommodation she is in at uni.

My friend worked in a care home for the elderly when she was doing her nursing degree. I thought that's what a lot of students did.

Marney, the council won't be getting extra council tax, they will just be getting the same council tax, except it will be paid by the individuals rather than the government.

Alittlestranger

Thanks for the tip, could you repost your link? It didn't work.

You might be interested in this recent thread which is where the information came from.

Marney have you worked out how much you will save by your DD not being at home? She is now responsible for all of her IP keep so you don't need to buy her food, clothes, toiletries and your bills will be a bit lower. I imagine you will save quite a lot by her not being home. If you try to work this out you may not lose £14 a week.

Olgaga it works for me so not sure what's gone wrong. Try just copying and pasting this

www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare_reform/welfare_reform_news/social_housing_size_criteria_a.aspx

Alittlestranger thanks, got there in the end.

That's very useful - I suspect there will be a lot of threads about this in future so I've bookmarked it. I must say I thought it sounded a little simplistic, but I got such a pasting on the other thread I thought it was best to adopt a pragmatic approach!

Not sure of where things are with the issue of someone intending to come home from university. Not sure how anyone could prove that was the case anyway, and even if you could, it would only put off the inevitable (also a point I made on the other thread).

I wish I had been able to get a room for as little as £14 a week as a student! A time which incidently I had far more disposable income than in any of the years after when working.

It's all about how you cut your cloth if you ask me.

The benefit system shouldn't be used as a hammock more a spring board.

Have you looked into credit unions?

marney this is the situation for a lot of people, private tenants have always had to find some of the rent each month, i work 13 hours a week at minimum wage this nets me £9 a week more than job seekers, i have to find £80 a month for my rent, thats one weeks wages gone, i have to find £10 a month for council tax, and yes i have to pay the gas, electric, water rates, tv licence, and food aswell and if you budget carefully you should not have to borrow money