Student loans 'supporting partners' - housemates?

Dinomania

Dinomania

Dinomania

Soldato
Joined
21 Apr 2003
Posts
4,328
So I have been living with the bloke for barely 2 months.

We split everything down the middle, I don't actually know how much he earns.

I would never expect him to help me finance my PGCE year (not this soon into the game anyway) - however it seems that the SLC require me to declare him and get him to fill out a big intrusive form if I should like to get more than just the non-means-tested entitlement (we're talking at least a grand's difference here, if not two - plus with his 'support' I might even get about £2k as a grant so it doesn't need paying back).

So I'm wondering how it'd work if I was just sharing with a flatmate as I was last year? A pure housemate should have course not have to help me fund my education - but am I correct in thinking I could only ever go non-means-tested in that situation (over age 25, so independent from parents)?

Seems stupid that if I were sharing a flat with a non-romantically-linked non-relative, I would get /less/ financial help than I would sharing with a supportive guardian or partner.

Bah.

Anyone got any experience of this?

EDIT: I have tried ringing them. Didn't seem to be much help, the guy I spoke to said he'd 'not thought of that situation before'.
 
There's two sections on the form, one is 'living with partner' and one is 'married/in civil partnership' - and in both cases they require supporting information from the other half.

I asked on the phone how it could matter really, as in, surely they can't come and check we're romantically linked? It's not a legal status?

I would argue I'm 'living with boyfriend' but the guy on the phone basically said that despite being less serious I was still 'living with partner' and would need him to declare income etc if I was to go for means-testing.

It sort of makes sense but I seem to be in a grey area.
 
Doesn't matter, I didn't give my details to the guy I spoke to, he wasn't looking into my account or anything :)

EDIT: Point is though, I can't work out what I'm entitled to if he's only a flatmate...
 
sara said:
Doesn't matter, I didn't give my details to the guy I spoke to, he wasn't looking into my account or anything :)

EDIT: Point is though, I can't work out what I'm entitled to if he's only a flatmate...
Click to expand...

the same as if you lived alone. they seriously check nothing anyway. ive always just wrote maximum in the ''what amount would you like to apply for'' boxes. then they send me stuff saying my parents have to support me then i send them stuff back saying ive self supported myself for 3 years. then we all argue on the phone and eventually i get my money :p:(

fill the forms in as if your independent and want it means tested. they should only means test your own income and savings and not your households finance because why would a housemate pay for your rent/food/bills/course ? i dont even think they will ask for his name. cant remember them asking for my housemates details
 
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So in the page where I have the choice of taking the maximum I'm initially given (say for arguments sake, full tuition fee loan plus 3.5k maintenance loan), and the choice of 'taking into account household income' which gets me full tuition fee, 3.5k maintenance loan /plus/ up to 2.9k maintenance grant - I've picked the latter.

But of course 'household income' is the bloke. Whose details I'd assume they'd ask for after this point... But if he was my flatmate, that'd still be the household income, right? Hmm.
 
The problem is if they assess your household income which includes the blokes, they will (theoretically) give you less as they would see this as support. Your household income would be higher than if you just declared you are supporting yourself.
 
They will treat him in the same way as if you were married unfortunately. The same applies for benefit. The partner would be expected to support the claimant if they are living together as a couple.
 
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