Is bil lying about paying rent in council home?

[etotheb]

Hey all!

So my in-laws have a council house. 3 bed

Here is who lives in the house.

Mother in law
Father in law

7 year old boy
23 year old boy

Each brother has their own room.

Family is on full housing benefit, brother in law is a full time university student who works part time.

He keeps asking my husband to borrow money and says "he has to pay rent to council for his room"

But I swear he doesn't have too as he's a student right?

He may contribute to the rent his parents pay?

He's over 21 so he might, also depends how many hours he works, would be a reduced rate though, wouldn't be bedroom tax as one son is an adult and the other a child

Due to the fact one adult in the house works part time they would have to pay a contribution towards the rent.

Your getting confused with council tax. Hb is reduced for non dependents , so yes ge will need to pay rent.

Even without him working part-time he would be eligible to pay rent. Being a student doesn't entitle you to free housing, that's what student loans are for. So, yes he's having to pay rent.

Prob as a working person he has to make a payment i doubt its alot though

Why do you think students don't pay rent?

GabsAlot
"Prob as a working person he has to make a payment i doubt its alot though"

Having a non dependent, who isn't on benefits, living in your home can cancel out nearly all your Housing Benefit.

Especially if they have been swapped to Universal Credit.

OP of course students pay rent.

Yes, your in laws sound like they are doing everything legally. So yes he has rent to pay.

Students don’t pay council tax, but that only applies if it is a student only household.

Yes, of course students pay rent!

Most people who rent council properties aren't that well off that they can afford to let an adult live there for free, are they?

I suspect the real question is why this person needs to borrow money. If he's a student, he should be eligible for some loans, and he's also working part time. What's he doing with the money?! Renting a room in a family-owned council flat ought to be a very cheap way of renting, so unless most of his loan/earnings are going somewhere else, he shouldn't be struggling.

I think OP didn't mean students don't pqy rent but rather that as a FT student he might still be classed as a dependant hence not affecting the HB

I lived with my parents in a council house in my early 20s. I didn’t have to pay any rent directly to the council but contributed towards the rent by giving my parents money. The help they otherwise got was reduced due to having me living there. I had no personal interaction with the council regarding the house though, as they didn’t expect me to.

If he’s claiming he has to pay the council for his room separately to his parents paying rent for the house then he’s most likely lying.

when i was a student i was liable for rent but i got a discretionary payment through college to help with that, i was exempt from council tax but if the rent is causing financial hardship you can apply for a discretionary housing payment through local council

Yes. Students are not entitled to housing benefit & he would have to pay a proportion of the rent on the property.

Surely that is what his student loan is for?
If his parents are on low income he should be getting the full loan of around £10k per year (tax-free) plus whatever he earns at his part-time job. He should have enough to pay rent for his room (whether that is to the council or keep to his parents).

Thanks for your comments.

I was confused because when I was a student my mom never said it affected her housing benefit? But I was 19 so under 21.

If you are in full time education up to 19 you are still a dependent. Over that, you are not

The bigger question is if he works part time and his rent is a proportion of the family’s, presumably much cheaper than student accom, why is he asking your husband for money?

Does anyone know if FT students who stay at home are eligible for grants and loans because, if so, I’d be telling him to buy a few less WKDs and sort himself out.

Ooo, actually - is he undergraduate or postgraduate?

As a student, your loan counts as income (even if your don't claim the maximum you are entitled to!) so his income is loan plus wages

Students who live at home can get the loan at a reduced rate. There aren't really any grants anymore.

I agree that unless you can easily afford it, then it's worth discussing finances with your BiL. Has he taken all he is entitled to in terms of loans? Can his uni help him out? Many have hardship funds and bursaries- especially for low income local students. It may be he hasn't taken out the loan due to not understanding it, so you could talk him through this.

Explain that asking his brother for money isn't a sustainable long term plan, and he needs to figure out a way to support himself for the next 3 (?) years.

From the Shelter Website:

"Students
A non-dependant deduction doesn't apply to a full-time student during term time or during holidays if they're not working.

A non-dependant deduction does apply if a student works for 16 hours or more a week during the summer holidays. You may need to ask them to contribute towards your housing costs."

If they get housing benefit it can be reduced on a 'taper' based on the non-dependant's earnings. As someone has already stated above, this depends on hours worked/income/whether it's out of term time and student loans (even when they're available to the student but not taken) can be counted as income. As it's a reduction in housing benefit it's actually your in-laws that have to pay it though the idea is that the non-dependant does. Depending on how much their housing benefit is reduced by it may be that they'd be better off under universal credit as the non-dep deduction in UC is a flat rate regardless of the non-dep's income.