Support for Mortgage Interest Discussion Area

yomama2

woodbine wrote: »

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 supposedly for "home improvements"when in reality 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???

I think you missed my point. I am always happy to abide by rules. When I took my remortgage the rules at that time were that it had to be for home improvement purposes. But rules should be fair. It is unreasonable to expect people to keep receipts for 16 years. The tax man doesn't expect it, Data protection laws don't expect it, why should the job centre regulations expect it. For the record not all of us gave into the green eye beast. My monthly mortgage is only £400, less than most people for rent!


You are quite right while I was working over the last 25 years, other than voting, I would not have got too involved in the benefit system! Why would you expect me too...I was busy working! Your comment suggest that I deserve to be punished because I preferred to work rather than claim benefits. There are many issues that I have got involved once I was aware of their impact, but I was working, I had to be selective with my time! In fact for the last 10 years I worked helping people to get into work. So please keep your judgements to yourself. (In fact why bother to response just to add to my distress, at this time people need support not insensitivity) We all have our own work ethics, mine was and still is to work and support myself and my family while living within my means, despite my best efforts the same like so many, I was made redundant and the lack of work opportunities mean that I have to claim off the system, which I have contributed to for the good of us all. Why should I not expect the system to include a level of practical flexibility? Being new to claiming benefit is not a crime, to me it's a sign of success, which I am proud of. I believe a healthy dialogue including suggestions on how we can steer through the problems of claiming SMI is useful. If you have any constructive suggestions I would love to hear them.

[Deleted User]

yomama2 wrote: »

I think you missed my point. I am always happy to abide by rules. When I took my remortgage the rules at that time were that it had to be for home improvement purposes. But rules should be fair. It is unreasonable to expect people to keep receipts for 16 years. The tax man doesn't expect it, Data protection laws don't expect it, why should the job centre regulations expect it. For the record not all of us gave into the green eye beast. My monthly mortgage is only £400, less than most people for rent!


You are quite right while I was working over the last 25 years, other than voting, I would not have got too involved in the benefit system! Why would you expect me too...I was busy working! Your comment suggest that I deserve to be punished because I preferred to work rather than claim benefits. There are many issues that I have got involved once I was aware of their impact, but I was working, I had to be selective with my time! In fact for the last 10 years I worked helping people to get into work. So please keep your judgements to yourself. (In fact why bother to response just to add to my distress, at this time people need support not insensitivity) We all have our own work ethics, mine was and still is to work and support myself and my family while living within my means, despite my best efforts the same like so many, I was made redundant and the lack of work opportunities mean that I have to claim off the system, which I have contributed to for the good of us all. Why should I not expect the system to include a level of practical flexibility? Being new to claiming benefit is not a crime, to me it's a sign of success, which I am proud of. I believe a healthy dialogue including suggestions on how we can steer through the problems of claiming SMI is useful. If you have any constructive suggestions I would love to hear them.

Sorry but i refer you back to my earlier question which was how was the money spent?If it was for home improvements then providing you have receipts you will get the help,if it wasnt then you dont get the help,if you dont like the rules the solution is simple:dont make the claim

Limana68

HI there everyone
Just looking for some advice, as my situation is becoming extremely stressful!
I work full time at the mo, live with hubby, 2 small kids and my disabled mum who we care for.Hubby gets carers allowance at the mo.
We have a mortgage, which is in my and hubby name and also my brother who helped us buy the house for my mum to move in with us. That was 18 mths ago.
Approx 8 mths ago hubby started to get ill, neurological disorder and he is not going to get better, only get worse. He has just been awarded DLA at HRC & HRM.
I am just about coping at work, they have been very supportive but am having to think about giving it up to look after things at home, re hubby and mum and kids etc. I can take a career break .
My mortgage is just over £1000, so obviously I am concerned about all this and paying the bills etc. My brother contributes £300 amonth towards the mortgage and my mum bless her gives us £200 a mth to help with mortgage and bills.
can anyone tell me if I would be able to get any help with the mortgage, well our part of it if I did give up work to care. I was firstly thinking of contacting Abbey to see if I could get a payment holiday or go down to interest only but that will only be a temporary measure.
I know its a complicated one, but I cannot cope much longer or I will end up going off sick, but as I have been off recently will end up on half pay.
Thanks for any input!!

Li xxx

credit_crunch_victim

woodbine wrote: »

Sorry but i refer you back to my earlier question which was how was the money spent?If it was for home improvements then providing you have receipts you will get the help,if it wasnt then you dont get the help,if you dont like the rules the solution is simple:dont make the claim

do they ask for receipts then or do you just fill out the forms and put down what you did with the further advances

yomama2

credit_crunch_victim wrote: »

do they ask for receipts then or do you just fill out the forms and put down what you did with the further advances

I going through this process myself and yes unfortunately they do ask for receipts. This of course is not a problem for recent works, or where the company still exists and is willing to write a note to confirm the cost of the work. (which I hope will be acceptable to them) It is of course a problem for work older work. I am having difficulty because the receipts I am able to find are not older than 6 years. I don't tend to hang on to things I don't need. My largest remortgage was done 14 years ago.

yomama2

woodbine wrote: »

Sorry but i refer you back to my earlier question which was how was the money spent?If it was for home improvements then providing you have receipts you will get the help,if it wasnt then you dont get the help,if you dont like the rules the solution is simple:dont make the claim

The point I make is that the improvement were done, some time ago. Should they inspect my property and compare it to my original home buying survey, it would be obvious that the work has been done and obviously had to be paid for. However since this was 10-16 years ago, I do not have the receipts. Why would I. Guarantees etc have all expired, to much paper in the house is a fire hazard. In the real world we throw things away.

In to days world there are some greedy people, its a shame that some people see fit to judge everybody by those standards. My experience is that there are several people like me who would prefer not to have to rely on the state for help, but have no choice both because of the current recessions and it effects and of course personal circumstance eg illness, disabilities... Don't be so harsh being helpful is better for your health!

deb0020

jellybean87 wrote: »

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?

If your DH claims JSA(IB) 13 weeks after his initial claim you may be able to get help with the mortgage. It may be that he is not entitled to JSA (IB) without the mortgage due to your earnings but may be entitled to JSA(IB) with the mortgage. I would suggest that he asks for mortgage claim form MI12 now and does not wait for the 13 week date as it can take quite a while to process the mortgage. (Assuming your local jobcentreplus is as busy as the majority of others round the country).
If you require any information regarding benefits or mortgages your local jobcentre shoud give you the telephone number of your local Benefit Delivery Centre (where they actually deal with paying benefits). The advisor that your DH sees when he signs on will most likely not be benefit trained.

Good Luck

[Deleted User]

yomama2 wrote: »

The point I make is that the improvement were done, some time ago. Should they inspect my property and compare it to my original home buying survey, it would be obvious that the work has been done and obviously had to be paid for. However since this was 10-16 years ago, I do not have the receipts. Why would I. Guarantees etc have all expired, to much paper in the house is a fire hazard. In the real world we throw things away.

In to days world there are some greedy people, its a shame that some people see fit to judge everybody by those standards. My experience is that there are several people like me who would prefer not to have to rely on the state for help, but have no choice both because of the current recessions and it effects and of course personal circumstance eg illness, disabilities... Don't be so harsh being helpful is better for your health!

I`m not being harsh,just realistic regarding the original question,as for being helpful i think you`ll find that 1700+thanks in less than a year speaks for itself,you of course are a prime example of something i`ve been saying for a long time now,and thats basicaLly when a large number of people who have been lucky enough to have worked most if not all their lives collide with a benefits system that is anything but fair then the fur will start to fly.
You suggest that there are several people like you who would prefer not to rely on the state for help,you should be more realistic and say several MILLION

Former_MSE_Dan

Hi folks,

The following has been checked with DWP and added to the article

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What if I am already claiming SMI?
Support for Mortgage Interest underwent significant changes in early 2009. The size of mortgage you could claim for was boosted from £100,000 to £200,000, and the waiting time for new claimants was cut from 39 weeks to 13 weeks.

If you were already in the waiting period to claim SMI on 5 January 2009, then you will not have to wait the full 39 weeks to get this benefit, it will either kick in immediately (if you've already waited over 13 weeks), or as soon as you hit the 13 week mark. You will also be eligible for coverage up to the full amount of £200,000.

However, if you were already in receipt of SMI before 5 January 2009, your payments WON'T increase above the old £100,000 threshold, nor will you get any benefit backdated (to make up for the extra weeks you waited to claim it).

Sprintblue

That's a nasty second rule re for the people already in receipt.

I suppose it would be intresting to know if they sign off and then re-claim JSA(IB) they would possibly have to wait 13 weeks but at least be able to claim upto £200k ..