BBC1 Now - 10.40. Following 3 Families in Debt

geoffky

This programme has just shown the realities of modern working class Britain today not a nice and comfortable place to be...

PasturesNew

MORPH3US wrote: »

Minor point but the loan was to "do up" his flat, not buy it....

yeah, keyboard drowns out the TV, I've corrected that now. Thought it was, but was too busy keeping up to address it until now/the end.

I'm actually lying down on my side when I type this stuff up. Not the best of typing positions either

krisskross

Tracey and Melvin possibly won't get housed by the council. It may be considered they are intentionally homeless by not paying the mortgage etc. What a pickle, poor souls.

PasturesNew

People were lured into buying their safe council houses by the riches they were lead to believe they'd get when it went up in value.

Some people were just never meant to benefit from that because their financial situations weren't brilliant. They were stretched and insecure from the start.

fc123

PasturesNew wrote: »

People were lured into buying their safe council houses by the riches they were lead to believe they'd get when it went up in value.

Some people were just never meant to benefit from that because their financial situations weren't brilliant. They were stretched and insecure from the start.

IIRC, happened in the late 80's/early 90's too.

Some friends of mine got inot a bad mess the past few years (and are still trying to dig their way out of it).
They bought first house via a deposit from HA....they gave the flat back.

He never got his head around equity NOT being the same as cash under the bed.

But I still blame more, the dodgy loan companies that threw the kloans at them,,,,,they didn't fully understand the consequences, interest rolling up etc etc.
HPI made them feel well off......but they weren't any better off at all really.

Thanks for the commentary PN An emoticon just for you ;-)

Night.

krisskross

Yes the ones that ended up in a real mess and homeless were Tracey and Melvin who had bought their council house. And of course even repossessed and homeless they will still owe a shedload of money.

The other two probably got full housing benefit and council tax benefit so at least the roof over their heads was safe.

louiser123

i noticed the first family tracey and melvin actually owned nothing, not an ornament, or anything. they certainaly didnt apear to have gone out and spent spent spent. these in my opinion were a family who just were so stretched before buying thier house that the slightest problem would tip them over the edge, not the brightest pennys in the pile but then not all of us can be einstien!!
i actually feel sympathetic towards them mainly tracey she has a lot to put up with melvin, im afraid he would be black and blue if he was mine!!! lol
i am pretty sure there will be many others in the same situation here in the uk shortly.

the old guy, what a shame. i know its a bit silly to some to think that anyone would take out a loan to do up something that isnt yours, but lets be realistic he is housebound and has nothing to actually look at day in and day out, and we dont know what state the place was in before he did this. same old story again and again, worked hard all your life then retire and need hours of care and in no position to actually pay for it. i found it the most shocking that he in the end recieved a bill from inland rev for the tax he should have been paying for the carer that went back to france 5k!!!! in all honesty if he was recieving the allowance to pay a carer and had to top that up by 88 quid a week himself how in the hell is he liable for her tax?? surely if she is classed as self employed she is responsible. he was paying 500 a month to her for just over a year so 5k seems steep in employers tax which i still cant understand how he could be liable for that.


anyway, im just happy to go to bed tonight in what i feel is a lucky position. i have my health, i have my home, and im not in masses of debt to keep me awake at night. but who knows in a few months time if hubby and me loose our jobs we could be coming to a settee near you!!!!! lol

The_White_Horse

i didn't see the show, but i presume these people all had cars, televisions, computers etc etc.

they make me sick.

PasturesNew

louiser123 wrote: »

i noticed the first family tracey and melvin actually owned nothing, not an ornament, or anything. they certainaly didnt apear to have gone out and spent spent spent. these in my opinion were a family who just were so stretched before buying thier house that the slightest problem would tip them over the edge, not the brightest pennys in the pile but then not all of us can be einstien!!

I think the clue was on the tow away truck. They had a sort of people carrier. They're never cheap.

It all went wrong for them when he gave up his job to look after one of the boys who was ill/had a bad leg.

louiser123 wrote: »

how in the hell is he liable for her tax?? surely if she is classed as self employed she is responsible. he was paying 500 a month to her for just over a year so 5k seems steep in employers tax which i still cant understand how he could be liable for that.

Difficult to know as you don't get the details, but I think if she was self-employed and didn't pay the tax, then he becomes her employer by default and is liable. Maybe that £5k was an estimate. Certainly the amount she was receiving for his care wasn't in itself enough to pay tax on, but you never know the full details.

louiser123 wrote: »

...who knows in a few months time if hubby and me loose our jobs we could be coming to a settee near you!!!!! lol

Hopefully not mine, that's where I sleep.

PasturesNew

The_White_Horse wrote: »

i didn't see the show, but i presume these people all had cars, televisions, computers etc etc.

they make me sick.

This lot were a bit more "normal people" than the usual numpties they wheel out for the telly.