Housing costs

If you own your own home and get IS, you may be able to get a loan from the DWP to help with the cost of your mortgage interest payments,1Reg 3 LMI Regs repayable when you sell your home or on your death. Payments are usually made directly to your mortgage lender. Usually help only starts once you have been getting IS for 39 weeks, although there are some exceptions to this. Note: these loans are not part of your IS.

Normally you have to live in the home you own to get a loan for mortgage interest, but there are exceptions for full-time students (and some others). You can still get a loan for mortgage interest if you have moved elsewhere to study but are not paying rent or mortgage at the term-time address. If you pay for both places, you can get a loan for both if you are a couple and it is unavoidable that you live in two separate homes. Otherwise, you can get a loan if you are away from your home temporarily and have not let it out and are not likely to be away for more than 52 weeks.2Sch 3 para 4 LMI Regs

You must claim universal credit (see Chapter 18), or, in some cases, housing benefit (see Chapter 12) for help with your rent.

For more details, see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.