credit crunch advance advice

[Deleted User]

I`m sure everyone has seen the news today and the financial panic that has set in worldwide,its now expected that 200,000 people will lose their jobs before christmas in the UK,and I would imagine the new stress will also add to the number of people too ill to work,so just a few words of advice.
Firstly this forum is an excellent place to seek advice on benefits,and there are other parts of MSE where advice on budgeting and debt is avaliable,as for benefits the main thing is if in doubt claim,they can only say no.If you have a mortgage remember you wont get help for 39 weeks(this changes to 13 weeks next april)so its important to speak to your lender BEFORE you have problems paying,they maybe able to offer assisitance,at this point i`ll let others hopefully add additional advice
good luck everyone

mummytofour

Is it still April? I only ask as yesterday in the sun ( I know) it was going on about the changes as tho they were new ideas that were to be implemented soon. I had hoped that the gov would bring the date forward as they interest rates have now been cut to the detriment of those on ISMI. Really I am grateful for any help at all just the noose is getting tighter for all and me included.

[Deleted User]

mummytofour wrote: »

Is it still April? I only ask as yesterday in the sun ( I know) it was going on about the changes as tho they were new ideas that were to be implemented soon. I had hoped that the gov would bring the date forward as they interest rates have now been cut to the detriment of those on ISMI. Really I am grateful for any help at all just the noose is getting tighter for all and me included.

I`ve not seen anything to suggest that its not still april
on the plus side it usually takes them a couple of months to change the ISMI rate which i think will now be 6.08%

alwaysonthego_2

I want to add if you do have any debts please remember to pay for priority debts such as the mortgage/rent, secured loans,council tax, utility bills etc above any non priority debts such as credit card bills, catalogues, unsecured loans, overdrafts etc. I have seen clients who have lost there homes because they have stopped paying their mortgage/rent to cover unsecured debts. Remember you can not lose your home if you miss a few credit card payments unlike if you miss rent/mortgage payments. It may be the obvious but believe me people do this sadly.

Please do come to the CAB for free help with benefit checks, debt payment plans and dealing with debts. As Woodbined has said please keep your mortgage provider informed of any difficulties.

Sherrie

Good advice, I just wanted to add that your water bill is not classed as a priority debt as due to human right regulations they cannot cut your water off. Obviously anyone suffering hardship should pay their bills as best they can, because the money will still be owed, but to just bear it in mind if the situation arose that you didn't have enough cash to pay all utilities.

SuziQ

Sherrie wrote: »

Good advice, I just wanted to add that your water bill is not classed as a priority debt as due to human right regulations they cannot cut your water off. Obviously anyone suffering hardship should pay their bills as best they can, because the money will still be owed, but to just bear it in mind if the situation arose that you didn't have enough cash to pay all utilities.

Just to add-essex and suffolk water have recently applied for a CCJ against me,even though I was paying monthly. I put the phone down on one of their advisors who was really sarcastic to me when I phoned up to inform them my bank had messed up a ddr,even though the direct debit was immediately put right and the payment showed on my account within days he immediately referred my case to the finance dept as a debt. The conversion over to a court action was more rapid than the ddr payment and once in place couldn't be stopped.The first I knew was the court forms arriving,and as I couldn't pay all the remainder in one lump sum as they demanded a ccj was issued against me. The debt is now almost double due to court costs. I am trying to work out a way pay it to get the ccj cleared in the next 30 days but can't see it happening tbh. So although they may not shut your water off-at least with the company supplying me they can take very quick action.
Although I complained,they stated that sarcasm isn't to them classed as rudeness and I shouldn't have put the phone down-ie the advisor had every right to make the immediate court referral as I had put the phone down and they classed that as a non-intent to pay.

A very expensive lesson learned for me!

raq

The last twomonths have been pretty difficult for us and the gas bill was never ending. Rang them up and said I could only pay £25.00 a week and they where great. Really helpful and put my mind at rest. They mentioned that they are inundated with customers who are finding paying their utilities bills a real struggle and have had to take on extra staff to deal with the phone calls. Thankfully we have are now up to date.