Need some advice please - First Active Mortgage/Interest relief? Is he lying?

knickers_twickers

Sorry this may be a bit of a long one please bear with me on it.

Soon to be ex-husband (divorce papers pending) left in November last year, leaving myself and then 4 month old daughter in the house (me on mat leave and therefore low income). I won't go into the details but suffice to say the man is an !!!! and cannot be trusted any further than I could throw him!

Since then in December he was made redundant by his mother who he worked for and has not been giving me any money at all either towards the mortgage (which is in joint names) or as maintainence for the baby (now nearly 9 months).

Anyway I have survived until now by using some joint savings, and all of my own savings which I had put away for emergencies! But my mat pay has gone down and although I can survive until I go back to work (cannot go back early as need 8 weeks notice and not enough time now, due back in June, but good family and new bloke who are helping me out) it is very tight.

The mortgage has been changed to interest only and obv house is on the market but no luck (since Nov last year) but that only saves me £100 a month and the payment is still £617.

I called First Active and asked them could I take a payment break? Even a month or two would help and they said no I didn't have the "right type of mortgage". I could pay less for a month or 2 put as soon as the amount they had taken off reached one months payment I'd be in arrears! So obv I don't want to do that.

CAB said the ex could claim interest relief but apparently the benefits office have told him he can't as he doesn't live here (even though he is still eligible for half), the only way he could would be if I was knocking him about! Which is frankly a bloody joke. Is that true? Like I said he's not very trustworthy.

I am trying to get a better paid job (have had several interviews in the last month, I am a school nurse but need to get back to ward nursing to make more money) and am doing all I can but he has had one interview in 4 months!

Is there anything else I can do? Could the mortgage company help with a payment break if they wanted to? Is it worth ringing them again?

Is the thing with interest relief true?

Anyone got any other ideas?

Sorry that was such a long post, any ideas gratefully recieved.

Thanks

Nikki
xx

Oh forgot to say I will be getting normal pay by the end of June at the latest (or sooner if I get one of the jobs I've applied for) so would only need a couple of months break) and at the end of Aug the payment drops to standard variable and will be a third of what it is now so will be fine.

silvercar

CAB said the ex could claim interest relief but apparently the benefits office have told him he can't as he doesn't live here (even though he is still eligible for half), the only way he could would be if I was knocking him about! Which is frankly a bloody joke. Is that true? Like I said he's not very trustworthy.

Sounds true. Mortgage interest relief is designed to help people remain in their home. As this isn't his home any more, he is unlikely to get help.