Support for Mortgage Interest Discussion Area

madhouse

Here is a link to DWP information giving different info:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/2008/dec/hse116-191208.asp

Ocean007

Don't know what's going on with the link, I'll try and paste it in differently:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/mortgage-interest-changes.pdf

That might work.

(EDIT: if it still doesn't work, the info is the same in madhouse's link. The link above just goes to a longer document)

This document says that the changes have been set up so that people who have already started waiting before 5 Jan aren't penalised for that.

Either there's some clause I don't know about or perhaps National Debtline just haven't been properly briefed. It's not something they've set up so could be a communication problem.

The people who can give you a definitive answer are the jobcentre mortgage team. I had to phone up the main number jobcentre number, chose the JSA option and then the person I spoke to had to get a mortgage specialist to phone me back.

They'll look you up via your NI number and talk you through what you can get. Think it's the only reliable answer you'll get, everyone's confused!

[Deleted User]

yomama2 wrote: »

Some time it is too easy to judge others and say they lived above their means. The current climate means that if unfortunately loose your job, regardless of how well you have managed previously you can only survive for so long/12 months if you are not able to get a new job. I am only just starting to build up debt having exhausted my mortgage insurance payment and not having secured a job in 12 months. I have never claimed benefit before and am disgusted at the unreasonable approach to SMI benefits. While working in a well paid "secure" job I remortgage my home several times to pay for much needed repairs and maintenance. I have now been asked to provide receipts for work that took place 10 years ago or benefit will not be paid?

Is it reasonable to expect that I would have kept reciepts for works for that long? Does any one have suggestion for how I can prove I used my remortgage for home improvement rather that debt clearence? Does any one else feel that the fact that I have always been employed and would have spent my hard earn money the way I want to without thinking that 16 years later the DWP would ask me to justify it? Does any one have a crystal ball?
Oh and by the way, my mortgage is only 96K so we are not talking about a spending spree!

Rightly or wrongly rules are rules,and more and more now we see those who are new to benefits say how unfair they are,wonder why they werent so vocal in what for them were better times
As for your mortgage situation,many people remortgaged property as prices were rising supposably for "home improvements"when in reallity the money was used for a second car or yet another holiday,is it then right that 5,10,or even 15 years later even that the state should pick up the bill for this spending?by insisting on proof they are trying to protect the "taxpayers"money,something I suspect you would have applauded this time last year???

zappster1966

There are some horrific admin problems with all this stuff, I'll keep it brief. Main problem is DWP identifying those cases which now qualify for SMI because of the reduction in the qualifying period ... I think that'll have to be done via a "scan", don't know if that's even been carried out yet. That'll bring a whole load of casework months forward, the DWP staff are quickly getting bogged down in extra admin which they simply aren't resourced for. So long delays will be the result. Same problem at the banks/building societies, getting all these MI12 forms completed. Admin chaos all round.

Next problem is identifying those cases where a £200,000 limit is appropriate ... because many DWP mortgage officers, rightly or wrongly, simply applied a £100,000 amount in the relevant field on their computer system (because that's what the limit was), even though the outstanding mortgage may have way exceeded that ... and their systems will continue paying on £100,000 until told otherwise. There's no way they can easily identify cases where a higher limit applies, without obtaining the original mortgage documents/MI12 etc from a central storage facility. But what's in place to prompt them to do that ? Nothing, really, apart from their annual mortgage review/MI12R and customer's phoning up to query their mortgage payments. More customer's calling means less work done, which means longer delays.

It's a horrid mess all round.

We_Are_The_Mods

Ocean007 wrote: »

Don't know what's going on with the link, I'll try and paste it in differently:

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/mortgage-interest-changes.pdf

That might work.

(EDIT: if it still doesn't work, the info is the same in madhouse's link. The link above just goes to a longer document)

This document says that the changes have been set up so that people who have already started waiting before 5 Jan aren't penalised for that.

Either there's some clause I don't know about or perhaps National Debtline just haven't been properly briefed. It's not something they've set up so could be a communication problem.

The people who can give you a definitive answer are the jobcentre mortgage team. I had to phone up the main number jobcentre number, chose the JSA option and then the person I spoke to had to get a mortgage specialist to phone me back.

They'll look you up via your NI number and talk you through what you can get. Think it's the only reliable answer you'll get, everyone's confused!

Thanks for that.

I'm not sure what's going on as it was the Job Centre that I queried it with, I even asked him to double check!!!

I'm going to be on the phone first thing in the morning, am I entitled to any back dated payments if I have waited over 13 weeks already?

cheers again.

Ocean007

The advice I've had is yes, you should get the money from the date you hit 13 weeks and they'll back date it to that date.

The form you fill in doesn't ask you what date you want to claim from so I guess that means it's all done from your records at the jobcentre.

I'd suggest that even if they still say you have to wait longer than 13 weeks that you ask them to post you the form anyway. Fill it in and send it off to your mortgage lender as it will take them a couple of weeks to fill it in and send it back to the jobcentre. And keep arguing. Again, unless there's something I don't know about I think those links above are evidence of your entitlement. Meantime hopefully everything will start to resolve itself.

Good luck!!

We_Are_The_Mods

Seems I was right and that I will have to wait the 39 weeks.

This is the first time I've ever claimed any sort of benefits so I'm not 100% sure how it all works, but basically they are saying that I need to be on IS @ 5th Jan for the 13 week waiting period to apply to me, because I am on Incapacity Benefit and not IS this rules me out.

Will be a long hard struggle until June to try and keep the mortgage company happy now.

Ocean007

Sorry to hear that. Hang in there.

strathaven

In theory the system appears to benefit a great deal of people, but in reality it is not as supportive to someone who has been made redundant due to the state of the economy and the benfits agency place them on contribution based job seekers allowance.
My husband is on this benefit, our joint salary has halved and I am still employed struggling to keep the roof over our head. We have looked at financial support and benefits, but cannot access anything as they have placed him on contribution based JSA.
It is not his fault he has worked all his life and paid his tax/national insurance and as usual the working person is penalised!
There is no help out there unless I let the bank take the house which we have worked hard for and then we would not even be back at square one as we would not be able to buy a house when we are back to full salary. Most people only need assistance for a few months to give them breathing space to be able to back into employment.
Where is the help!!!

jellybean87_2

Hi, i'm really worried now. We were hoping to get the SMI. Dh is signing on tomorrow, but I think he will be on Contributions not Income based. if we can't get it we will lose the house. I am so worried now. How can we find out, will the job centre tell him when he rings tomorrow to sign on to JSA?

I work 16 hrs and we have a child if that makes a difference?