2. Who is eligible

To qualify for housing benefit (HB), you must be a student who is eligible to get HB (see below), your accommodation must be eligible for HB (see here) and you must satisfy the basic HB rules (see here). As new claims cannot usually be made (see above for exceptions), most students getting HB will be those who were already on HB before starting the course, and who are eligible for HB as a student. If you cannot claim HB, you may be able to get help with your rent through universal credit (see Chapter 18).