Renting advice,sick, prep for bankrupsy

c74

Hi, i desparately need advise please. I became ill in August last year and am therefore unable to work, I am still employed by nhs but no longer being paid as sick pay and ssp has run out. Until now my partner and I have been living in a friends house, he is subletting council house to us. Anyway to cut a long story short, as I have no income and we cannot apply for any housing benefits, my partner earns too much for me to get incapcity we have become unable to pay our debts. We sought advice from CCCs and they have advised we go bankrupt.
We have taken their advice and sent letters off to all our creditors offering a token payment, in order to buy us time to raise the money to go bankrupt, and see if there is any possibity of writing off the debt under the consumer credit act 1974. But today we got news that our friend is to return from abroad and he will need us to move out.
We got right onto looking, and have made an appiontment to see somewhere, but then the agent told us there would be a fee for references and credit check. THE PENNY DROPS! What do we do now? Do we tell the estate agent the situation, I have already told them that I am disabled and not earning at the moment. Will this stop us from being able to rent? I have not yet defulted on my loan but have underpaid minimum payment on cc and subsequently gone over credit limit. My partner has defaulted but only this week, if they do the credit check next week will it already be affected? Sorry so long, so much has happened, everything has fallen apart since I got ill, don't get ill in the uk even shelter told me the goverment may not see me as sick enough not to live on the streets!!!

Flowerpot_2

Hi C74 welcome to the forum
I can't help you with this but others can........hang on in there they'll be along soon
Flowerpot
xxx

mna78

It'll be easier to rent prior to Bankruptcy as your credit file will be in better shape.

& I agree the council are pretty unhelpful re: housing, we called to ask about housing as we were (& now have gone) BR and will potentailly lose our house, I'm out of work at the moment so we thought we may get emergancy housing help of some sort. The lady on the phone simple said if we cannot provide a stable home for our two young children then they maybe taken away!

gettingbetter

mna78 wrote: »

The lady on the phone simple said if we cannot provide a stable home for our two young children then they maybe taken away!

she said what :eek::eek::eek:
i would be calling them
back and asking to speak
to her superior
HOW DARE SHE SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT

you went there for help

kas xx

mna78

Yep, that was her exact words. It was my wife who spoke to them and it got her pretty worried, I was discused that some "bod" on the phone can put that sort of worrying thought into your head.

I have since looked on "Shelters" website and it suggests that the council would have a duty to house us in the worse case of the house being sold by the OR and me still not working and unable to privately rent.

gettingbetter

hi
the council are a law
unto themselves
i would still go to her superior
and report her
keep posting and let us know how you get on

kas xx

So_Sad_Angel

Hi c74

....great post btw Merlin....I can`t add much more !!

Anyway welcome c74. ESA ( Employment Support Allowance) will be on the `contribution` based level (not means tested) which means if you are ill & not recving income then it is paid at £64 a week. If you contact your local council then speak to your Welfare Rights Officer who will help with the forms & your rights. Alternatively there is a benefits helpline where you can apply.

The council & local housing associations are your best bet re housing.....you have children & are ill yourself so will get high priority.

In terms of your debt ...well speak to CCCS/Nat Debtline/CAB....the main thing for you now is housing & getting a safe place for your family.

Keep posting.

Angiexx

c74

I agree a very strange and messy situation but to try and clarify.

I am still contracted to the nhs, in that my contract has not yet been terminated due to my inability to fulfil it. I received a certain amount of sick pay, then half pay and then SSP. A month ago the SSP ran out and my employer gave me a letter to take to the DWP to claim incapacity benefit, explaining that they will no longer pay.

I apparently can still be contracted but claim benefit, but I was advised that it is means tested by the number of hours my partner works, he works more than 30.

I am going to apply for DLA, but it has taken until a few weeks ago to get a diagnosis, a partial one at that. I could not apply for DLA before as I did not know how much longer I was going to be ill. As my diagnosis a chronic pain condition, caused by surgery for another chronic condition, I am still undergoing many tests and on heavy medication, making all this more difficult to deal with.

The housing situation is dodgy I know, and when I say friend I mean friend of friend but this all came about because I have been struggling with my health for a few years and was trying to resolve my debts so took the opportunity of cheap rent. Now as you say it makes things tricky to go to the council and ask for help.

As for advice from shelter, I swear that is what I was told. I asked if the fact that I had had 3 operations in less than a year, was under investigation medically, had no wage coming and that my partner and I could no longer pay our debts, and we were going to be made homeless would entitle us to any help. I was advised that just because I was too sick to work did not mean the goverment would consider me too sick to live on the streets and help me with housing. They told me the best thing we could do would be resolve our debt issues so we could pay the rent.

And so we have sought advice, are resolving the debt issue by going bankrupt and were hoping that we would now have enough to live off with my partners wage. However now we cannot stay here we have to face the maze of renting in this bizarre situation.

I might add that I have worked all my life as has my partner and this whole situation is incredibly upsetting and stressful. thanks for advice anyway, don't mean to rant, very stressed!!

So_Sad_Angel

c74 wrote: »

I agree a very strange and messy situation but to try and clarify.

I am still contracted to the nhs, in that my contract has not yet been terminated due to my inability to fulfil it. I received a certain amount of sick pay, then half pay and then SSP. A month ago the SSP ran out and my employer gave me a letter to take to the DWP to claim incapacity benefit, explaining that they will no longer pay.


I might add that I have worked all my life as has my partner and this whole situation is incredibly upsetting and stressful. thanks for advice anyway, don't mean to rant, very stressed!!

I`m in exactly same situation.....still contracted but no pay....ESA is being paid to me so do apply for it. Contribution basis means it does`nt matter what else comes into the household.

Rant away Honey....we`ve all done it & as upsetting as it is...you are working towards a positive outcome & who knows a better life at the end of it all.

Angiexx

c74

Thanks, didnt mean to sound ungrateful. Infact it has been very helpful as from the advice you have given me seems that I have been some very duff advice not just by my employer, but also shelter who advised me on the benefit issue.

It doesn't really surprise me that work have given me dud advise as they have acted appallingly throughout despite working for the same hospital i am being treated in. It is only a matter of time before they terminate my contract and when they do now I know I can get some assistance, so thats good news ta!!

So_Sad_Angel

Try & speak to a Welfare Rights Advisor at your local council.....mine was a lifesaver for me & even filled forms in for me !! They don`t know about debt but they are great for benefits & having someone to explain the system to you.

Angiexx