Hi all, this is my first time asking a question here so please forgive me if this isn’t the best section.
My eldest daughter SL is 18. With a lot of help from me (i.e. I completed the forms for her) she is currently receiving PIP (enhanced rate for daily living and standard rate for mobility) and Universal Credit (standard plus extra as found to have limited capability for work and work related activity). She is currently still living at home and will finish her college course this summer.
She has a place at university, but applied to start in Sept 2022 so that she has a year to try living in her own place but still close to me to see if it is even possible that she could live away from me at university and still cope. So, later this year, we are looking at trying to get her a rented flat/apartment somewhere fairly local so that I can still do her grocery shopping etc to start with and she can focus solely on learning some basic living skills. Over time I expect that the exact list of things she needs help and support with will change, although I still expect her to need the same total amount of help, but obviously just a new address is ‘a change of circumstances’ that we will need to inform the DWP about.
My first question is - does anyone know, for Universal Credit and for PIP, do either or both of these stop payment as soon as you tell the DWP about a change of circumstances? And then resume and backpay if/when you make a successful new claim?
I don’t know about PIP but UC won’t stop for telling them about a change or circumstances unless you start working. A change of address won’t stop the personal element of UC.
If your daughter moves into private rented accommodation, you will have to claim the housing element from UC. I don’t know what the situation is for university students though so best to speak to someone about it.
If you know your daughter is moving out at some point, why don’t you try and get her tenancy ready? Learn something new each week or month? Maybe start off with budgeting, a bit of cooking and a bit of online shopping. You could also get her to start writing a list of essentials she will need when she moves out and start saving a bit of money for it, i.e. small electrical good etc?
Just came across this post and wondering how Sal go on.
I am in a similar predicament (see learning diffs thread) and I have to make a claim for daughter as she is finally hoping to move in with her boyfriend, they have got a flat at last.
I already do his UC for him as he can’t do it and I have to do some sort of linked account and it’s scaring me to death. I find just with his account that there isn’t always the right box to tick and you get so far and if you can’t continue you lose everything. It drives me mad.
Penny - I don’t know how to find your thread. Is the flat they are moving into a Council one or a Housing Association of a private one? If it’s one of the first two, ask for a support worker for your daughter. They will be able to help get the claims sorted.
Get it done ASAP though so the housing costs can be claimed right from the start of the tenancy.
Let us know how you get on. If she gets a support worker, they will help get her utilities etc sorted too. They may also be able to source an item of white goods for free so bear that in mind too.
My local authority is now giving the full works to new tenants who are moving into their first own local authority tenancy at the moment. I know housing associations are slightly different but there is help put there so tell your daughter to make the most of what they can offer!
We’ve gone through this exact situation with our daughters (now 24 and 26) on PIP and ESA. We informed DWP of the move to halls and nothing changed. Disabled students can study and still receive PIP and ESA (or nowUC) with no penalty. Student Finance England can organise a Disabled Students Assessment and your daughter should get any equipment or services she requires through that process. You can also apply for Disabled Students Allowance on top of any Student Finance. X good luck!! X
Thanks to all of you for your replies, sorry I’ve been out of contact for a week or so, it’s so difficult trying to find time to fit everything in. Your replies have been hugely reassuring, so thank you.
OnTheVerge - thank you, some good suggestions there, we have already done some work on budgeting and saving and she has started a list of things she will need when she moves out. She has even started collecting things now (e.g. tea towels, plates, cutlery), especially the things that are important to her to have things she has chosen herself. She knows how to use our microwave at home, but she was worried a while ago when she realised that if she rents her own place, things like that might be different to ours and she might have to learn again. I assured her that I can come over for a little while most days at the start so she can learn how things like that work.
She won’t finish her college course until somewhere in June, so although I am starting to keep an eye out, it’s a bit too early for most of the places I’ve seen. I’ll look again in a week or two.