Help Needed - Emergency Trip to Oz and claiming Mortgage Relief

sparklebum

Hello there

I hope that someone can help me. My family live in Oz; my sister is very ill at the moment and will require rehab and 24 hours a day supervision for at least 4-6 weeks when she comes out of hospital end Oct/start Nov. My mum will be her main carer, but as my husband and I are both unemployed, she has asked us to go out and help her if she remortgages and pays our fares.

We have a 6,2 and 1 year old, (and 11 and 9 year old from his first marriage who dont live with us). I have been a college lecturer making good money (and paying good tax!) for most of my working life, though I dont work at the moment as I'm looking after the children; my husband was made redundant from a 35k p/a job in August 2008 and has not been able to find another job since (we live in Devon and currently jobs such as hotel night porters are attracting 300+ applicants). I've been back to work full time while he looked after the kids, but the only job I could get was minimum wage, and we fell behind on the mortgage repayments due to a benefits !!!! up (for which we're bringing a maladministration claim against the Benefits Agency)... We've just been back to court for a repossession order and received a suspended 28 day repossession notice, which is ok as long as the Benefits agency continue to pay our Mortgage Relief, but if we go out to Oz for a couple of weeks I've been told that the JSA must stop (fair enough as my husband wont be available for interviews/work) but also the Mortgage Relief, which of course will mean that we'll lose our house. We have no savings any more, and no assets to sell, other than the house which is in negative equity!

I'm absolutely distraught - my mother has a heart condition and is in no physical state to look after my sister, yet I dont seem to be able to find a way round this situation. There is no way I could travel to Oz with the 6, 2 ands 1 year old on my own, so I'm panicking that due to this family emergency we will lose our house or risk losing my mum.

Can anyone help with ideas or suggestions? I wondered about arranging job interviews for my husband in Oz - does any wise person know if that would be acceptable? If he found something decent out there, I have citizenship and therefore we might well move there...

We have spoken both to our local Job Centre Plus (who told us to ring the processing centre at Plymouth) and Plymouth, who told us to speak to our local team...neither could/would give any advice other than they wouldnt pay.

I'd be very grateful for anyone's advice or thoughts.

Many thanks for your time reading this.

Sparkles xxx

dmg24

JSA (and SMI as a result of JSA eligibility) is only available to those actively seeking work in the UK, or in certain circumstances, the EC.

Whilst there are limited circumstances where both payments can continue due to emergency travel overseas this would not apply as it is not an emergency (an emergency would mean immediate travel), and the situation does not require all of you to travel.

If your sister is a UK citizen, does she not have repatriation insurance? Alternatively, if your mother is not well enough to care for your sister (is she able to get travel insurance?), would it be a possibility for her to stay in the UK and use the airfare to pay your mortgage whilst you go away?

dmg24

SueSueSue wrote: »

If it was only one of you going you might have more chance depending on the sisters residency and contribution status. i.e if you could be an official carer in UK terms.

You cannot claim CA for someone outside of the EC.

sparklebum

Hi - sorry - should have said that my family all live in Australia - I have joint UK and Oz citizenship and have been paying tax here all of my working life.

Also, if I travel to Oz without my husband and leave the children here with him, he will not be available for work as he will have the childcare responsibilities.

I will be unable to travel with 3 children alone.

My mother is Australian and my sister will not be safe to fly due to medical complications.

I do not mean to suggest that I would like a holiday at the UK Taxpayers' Expense (believe me - I I were looking for a holiday I would not select being a carer for someone who has brain injuries) - I just feel slightly aggreived that I have paid tax all of my life, and yet when I have a genuine need for some assistance in what is a very real and frightening situation, I am not able to access it.

Thanks for your time.

samr_2

Could your partner not stay behind with the kids?

Or any chance you could rent out your house for a while?

pickle

Could you chat to the social worker at the hospital to explain your mum needs help? They might find a solution in terms of community care/services to come in.

dmg24

pickle wrote: »

Could you chat to the social worker at the hospital to explain your mum needs help? They might find a solution in terms of community care/services to come in.

I think this would be the most practical solution.

OP, I understand that travelling such a long way with three children is not easy, but you will have your mother with you, and any of the better airlines (Emirates, Quantas, Singapore etc) will provide you with extra assistance.

Whilst you may feel aggrieved that you cannot receive more state assistance, you are receiving as much as any other UK citizen. If you had caring responsibilities within the UK you would receive further assistance.

iamana1ias

sparklebum wrote: »

I do not mean to suggest that I would like a holiday at the UK Taxpayers' Expense (believe me - I I were looking for a holiday I would not select being a carer for someone who has brain injuries) - I just feel slightly aggreived that I have paid tax all of my life, and yet when I have a genuine need for some assistance in what is a very real and frightening situation, I am not able to access it.

Thanks for your time.

But you are accessing it - you get benefits and your mortgage interest paid.

sparklebum

No - we are actually currently only getting £105 a week plus mortgage relief, and have only been getting that since last week. We are waiting until the Maladministration Claim has been dealt with for the money that the Benefits office should have been paying us since my husband was made redundant. (Not easy to feed and look after 3 and sometimes 5 kids on £105 a week, believe me. How much is your own weekly food shop, let alone bills? The Benefits Agency are holding back the several thousand pounds that they owe us because we are bringing the claim against them and they say they cannot pay while investigating, though if we were to stop the action they would be able to pay tomorrow. Trying to make us go away? I think so!)

No, I wouldnt have my mum with me on the plane - as I said, she and my sister are resident in Oz and are over there. I and my 3 kids are here and

sparklebum

oops! I meant to add 'need to travel'!

DaisyFlower

The airport will help you with the children, the job centre wont agree to contnue paying as there is no need for both of you to travel. Millions of people travel alone with children every year.

Not sure which benefits you are not getting (CTC?) but as your mortgage is being paid, plus JSA, CB and most likely council tax then you are getting a great deal of assistance despite the "I just feel slightly aggreived that I have paid tax all of my life, and yet when I have a genuine need for some assistance in what is a very real and frightening situation, I am not able to access it"

Is the JSA claim joint - unsure from your post if it is as you state you were working but no mention of quitting/redundancy.