Going to fail with rent payment - help please!

sams247 · 17 October 2016 at 7:34PM

I was made redundant in June and have been claiming Universal Credit since July. I get £900 a month give or take £15 here and there. But I live very close to London and my rent is £775, so obviously I have been really struggling thus far. By family support, food help etc I have managed to keep up with my rent but this month is going to be a fail. I simply cannot feed myself, pay nominal bills and keep up.

I have finally manage to secure a part time job that will help, but dont get paid for another month at least.

I asked Universal Credit if they can help and they say no, they said to ask my local council. My local council said they cant help with rent and either I should move to a cheaper flat (where!!!) or wait until my landlord evicts me through the courts and then apply for emergency housing.

I would move but there are very few cheaper places in this area, and who would take me on with no income, and no deposit? But I am terrified of being evicted. My landlord has been so good up till now it seems so unfair to not pay him and make him suffer through a situation not of his creation.

What can I do? I am sick with the worry and am so afraid I will crash back into my depression. I spent several months under therapist care due to depression and its taken me a year to be free of it.

Thank you so much for any help or suggestions

xylophone · 17 October 2016 at 10:16PM

You have been keeping up with your rent thus far and you say that your landlord is very good.

Ask if you can pay reduced rent for a couple of months and pay back the money owed once you are receiving a salary?

Peter333 · 17 October 2016 at 10:27PM

Gosh there is no easy answer to this, except

a) Move in with someone else - or get someone else to move in, to cut your bills and rent by half.

b) Move into somewhere as a lodger, so your rent/board/lodgings will be much cheaper.

c) Move out of/away from London

d) Get another job that gives you a salary of approx £400 a week net pay

Having £775 rent per month, and only £900 money per month coming in, is not going to work long term.

Sorry can't be more helpful.

Good luck.

Mersey_2 · 17 October 2016 at 11:56PM

A Landlord couldn't even begin to issue a notice until you are in arrears of at least 2 months' rent (but it's good that morally you want to keep paying).

* The Flexible Support Fund is available via JobCentre Plus. It's not advertised, so ask for an application form. It can't help with rent, but managers have a discretion to give eg £100 for a suit for interview, £15 for a haircut and so on. They should be able to cover the cost of travel for the first month of your new part-time job.

* I'm sure you've already done this, but renters can switch their energy provider and often save eg £300 pa.

* Approved Food is an online retailer that sells food at vast discounts (due to bulk buying and selling eg tins, chocolate etc with only 2 weeks use by dates).

* Ask HMRC if you are due a Tax Rebate (as you left work during the tax year it's likely you are for the tax paid on your April-July employment).

* Food Banks are available but realise you may not want to consider these.

paddypaws101 · 18 October 2016 at 11:40AM

Mersey wrote: »

A Landlord couldn't even begin to issue a notice until you are in arrears of at least 2 months' rent (but it's good that morally you want to keep paying).

.

Actually, depending on how long your AST has been in place, the landlord can issue a Section 21 without any reason at all and certainly doesn't have to wait 2 months although any actual eviction would take some time.
If he has been reasonable up till now then speak to your landlord and tell him honestly what is going on.
If your place is big enough maybe you could then get a lodger to help pay the rent ( only if LL agrees). If you really wont be able to pay the rent in medium to long term then I am afraid you would need to consider moving to a shared house for cheaper rent.

Guest101 · 18 October 2016 at 11:52AM

Mersey wrote: »

A Landlord couldn't even begin to issue a notice until you are in arrears of at least 2 months' rent (but it's good that morally you want to keep paying). - Incorrect. A LL can issue a s.8 notice after 1 day (but courts do not HAVE to, but still can, grant possession unless you are two months in arrears at the time of going to court) Ofcourse they can issue a s.21 no fault notice.

* The Flexible Support Fund is available via JobCentre Plus. It's not advertised, so ask for an application form. It can't help with rent, but managers have a discretion to give eg £100 for a suit for interview, £15 for a haircut and so on. They should be able to cover the cost of travel for the first month of your new part-time job.

* I'm sure you've already done this, but renters can switch their energy provider and often save eg £300 pa.

* Approved Food is an online retailer that sells food at vast discounts (due to bulk buying and selling eg tins, chocolate etc with only 2 weeks use by dates).

* Ask HMRC if you are due a Tax Rebate (as you left work during the tax year it's likely you are for the tax paid on your April-July employment).

* Food Banks are available but realise you may not want to consider these.

Talk to the LL, that's the important thing, much less likely to act, if they know whats happening.

Mersey_2 · 18 October 2016 at 1:56PM

Sorry I meant to say couldn't just serve a notice to quit, rather than issue one. Yes, it usually takes at least 6 months to actually happen (although that's partly down to HMCTS delays).

Although didn't greater protections - to essentially prevent 'no reason' evictions - come into force last year, or was that just in Scotland? I seem to remember the Housing Minister saying he'd put a stop to that [although admittedly it was only a Conference speech on the News so the legislation may not have been passed yet]

Guest101 · 18 October 2016 at 2:00PM

Mersey wrote: »

Sorry I meant to say couldn't just serve a notice to quit - Doesn't exist. , rather than issue one - Serve and issue are the same thing. . Yes, it usually takes at least 6 months to actually happen (although that's partly down to HMCTS delays). - It's typically 3-4 months, but can take upto 6.

Although didn't greater protections - to essentially prevent 'no reason' evictions - come into force last year - Only in certain circumstances, e.g. if a council issues a repair order, no s.21 can be issued for 6 months. S.8 (rent arrears) still can be, or was that just in Scotland? - It/s England and wales, but only for tenancies which started after 1st October 2015. I seem to remember the Housing Minister saying he'd put a stop to that - it was to stop revenge evictions. E.G. tenant complains to council that the property needs repair and LL just evicts instead [although admittedly it was only a Conference speech on the News so the legislation may not have been passed yet]

Sorry to seem pedantic, but this is important and hopefully you'll now know for next time.

Mersey_2 · 18 October 2016 at 2:11PM

Serve and issue are not the same thing at all (I am a lawyer with 12 years' experience of handling litigated civil matters - it's just that I do not deal with landlord & tenant law).

You issue proceedings in the County Court. You or the Court can then serve sealed proceedings upon the Defendant - and a Judgment at a later date (if you are successful in your claim).

But thanks for the rest - yes, just found the Scottish proposals online. The greater protections are only proposed at present.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-34477176

Guest101 · 18 October 2016 at 2:24PM

Mersey wrote: »

Serve and issue are not the same thing at all (I am a lawyer with 12 years' experience of handling litigated civil matters - it's just that I do not deal with landlord & tenant law). - Oh what fun. Let's go over it then. Since the LL is not 'serving' court papers, but rather a notice of intent to go to court, similar to a letter before action (you'll know about those), except these are governed by statute. There is no difference between a landlord serving notice, or issuing notice, there is only one legal mechanism for the notice to be valid. So in this case, serve and issue mean exactly the same thing.

You issue proceedings in the County Court. - Correct, but a LL cannot issue a notice to the county court, only to the tenant. So many people use the terminology to mean one and the same. You or the Court can then serve sealed proceedings upon the Defendant - and a Judgment at a later date (if you are successful in your claim). - Correct, as I said. However, again the LL is simply following the legal mechanisms required, PRIOR to court action

But thanks for the rest - yes, just found the Scottish proposals online. The greater protections are only proposed at present.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-34477176

Just to be clear, serve and issue, despite both being paramount terms in court are also terms used regularly in everyday life - and in those circumstances are largely interchangeable.

Mersey_2 · 18 October 2016 at 2:50PM

And here's the notice to quit (which you stated didn't exist) - 'just so you know for next time'

www.gov.uk/tenancy-agreements-a-guide-for-landlords-scotland/ending-a-tenancy

High Court enforcement still use that term (and Writ of Fi Fe) in England & Wales too, even though the Court forms were changed over a decade ago, so yes, I see what you mean re everyday usage can be confusing, as people use the wrong - included outdated - terminology. In the same way a Letter Before Action became a Letter of Claim 18 years ago.

A bit like 'common law wife' and 'Small Claims Court' [neither exist here but are used a lot in everyday usage, sadly]

Going to fail with rent payment - help please!

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