Halls of residence
You can get HB for rent in a student hall of residence.
1Reg 57(4) HB Regs You must be a full-time student who is eligible for HB (see
here). You cannot get HB in a hall if you are claiming while waiting to return to your course after taking time out because of disability, illness or caring responsibilities.
Part-time students can also get HB in a hall of residence if, had they been full time, they would have been eligible to claim HB as:
•an under-22 year old in non-advanced education;
•a lone parent;
•a disabled student;
•someone with a child and a full-time student partner; or
•someone who has reached pension age (see
here).
If you get income support (IS), income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) or income-related employment and support allowance (ESA) as a part-time student, you can only get HB in a hall of residence if you are also one of the above. Although you can get HB, it might not cover the whole cost (see
here).
Full-time students waiting to return to their course after a period of illness or caring, and part-time students on IS, income-based JSA or income-related ESA, and not in another category cannot get HB in a hall of residence during term time or short vacations unless the educational establishment does not own the hall, does not have a long-term lease on the building or does not rent it from the education authority.
2Reg 57(2) HB Regs For example, if the university leases flats on a short-term lease from a private landlord and rents these to students, you can get HB. During the summer vacation, you can get HB if you remain in the hall, unless your student support covers the summer vacation.