£16,000 savings but can i get a council house? (scotland)

wispagold

Hi,

I've just left my long time partner. My name was never on his flat tenancy so he is staying there with the furniture and 2 cars while i get a £10,000 isa that i can't touch till April (i think) and £5,000 in a business account that i'm going to have to close now we are not together. Our 3 year old son is coming with me. Our split is so far freindly and he is happy for me to stay for a few days as obviously at this time of the year everywhere is closed.

I have no job, furniture, car, accommodation but i do have the above money and my son has about £5,000 in a savings account.

What should i do about getting a place to live? Would the council help or should i just try to find somewhere private? and would i get any benefits eg housing, council tax, income support?

I'd just like a bit of advice if possible since everywhere is closed till Tuesday and i kind of want to know what to expect.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post and i live in Scotland btw, i know that it differs from England rule wise sometimes.

Caz3121

you could go on the council list and, if they deem you homeless you are likely to be placed in temporary accommodation - this happened to a friend and they were put in a b&b with their child and are now in a temp property which they will have to move from at short notice. It will depend on your area and what their housing stock is like.
If you went for a private rent you are unlikely to get much financial help (not sure about your ISA but with mine I can draw on it but lose interest)
You can apply for income support but the amount may be affected by your capital - you should also ensure you have the child benefit.
If you currently receive child tax credits you must close the joint claim and apply as a single person.
You will receive the single person reduction on your council tax
Your ex should be paying 15% of net salary as child maintenance but if you go on IS anything that is over £20 per week will reduce your IS £ for £
have a look on entitledto.com and it should give you a rough guide

Penny-Pincher!!

wispagold wrote: »

Hi,

What should i do about getting a place to live? Would the council help or should i just try to find somewhere private? and would i get any benefits eg housing, council tax, income support? [/QUOTE]

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:.....why would you need this if you have £16,000

JMW77

I know where your coming from it makes you feel more secure with savings ,if i were in your position i would hate to think my savings were going to be eaten away which they will ,you never know when you need emergency cash.

I suppose you have a lot of things to consider,childcare etc,just with everybodys help make sure you claim for what you are entitled to .

Do you have family you could move in with for a while while you find somewhere decent to live?or a friend?

JMW77

Surely he will give you one of the cars?

Edinburghlass_2

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

wispagold wrote: »

Hi,

What should i do about getting a place to live? Would the council help or should i just try to find somewhere private? and would i get any benefits eg housing, council tax, income support? [/QUOTE]

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:.....why would you need this if you have £16,000

You think its funny that someone who is going to be homeless is asking what help they can get,

To the OP, not really much you can do until Tuesday unfortunately but do look on https://www.entitledto.com and perhaps your first port of call might be CAB to see if they can help you with a plan of action.

DX2

wispagold wrote: »

Hi,

I've just left my long time partner. My name was never on his flat tenancy so he is staying there with the furniture and 2 cars while i get a £10,000 isa that i can't touch till April (i think) and £5,000 in a business account that i'm going to have to close now we are not together. Our 3 year old son is coming with me. Our split is so far freindly and he is happy for me to stay for a few days as obviously at this time of the year everywhere is closed.

I have no job, furniture, car, accommodation but i do have the above money and my son has about £5,000 in a savings account.

What should i do about getting a place to live? Would the council help or should i just try to find somewhere private? and would i get any benefits eg housing, council tax, income support?

I'd just like a bit of advice if possible since everywhere is closed till Tuesday and i kind of want to know what to expect.

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post and i live in Scotland btw, i know that it differs from England rule wise sometimes.

Where do you get £16,000 from? Your post say £10,000 ISA, £5,000 business account, and £5,000 saving (son).

With £20,000 you will not be entitled to any means tested benefits.
You might want to get in contact with Shelter regarding housing.
http://scotland.shelter.org.uk/

LizzieS_2

ISAs can be cashed in - you just lose the ISA status and it reverts to a savings account where you can be liable for tax on investment return (basing the revertion on your comment over April).

Penny-Pincher!!

Edinburghlass wrote: »

Penny-Pincher!! wrote: »

You think its funny that someone who is going to be homeless is asking what help they can get,

To the OP, not really much you can do until Tuesday unfortunately but do look on www.entitledto.com and perhaps your first port of call might be CAB to see if they can help you with a plan of action.

Edinburghlass, I wasnt laughing at the fact the OP would be homeless but the fact that they immediately think they are entitled to benefits when they have more money than most available to them!

Surely, if OP has £10,000 available now and another £10,000 in April how could they become homeless? He could pay to stay in a B&B in the mean time and has more than enough for security on a rented property

If you are truly stuck OP, Social Services could help with the care of your child and maybe find you emergency accomadation, but honestly cant see this if he you have available funds to pay for a property.

PP
xx

Oldernotwiser

JMW77 wrote: »

I know where your coming from it makes you feel more secure with savings ,if i were in your position i would hate to think my savings were going to be eaten away which they will ,you never know when you need emergency cash.

I would think this situation qualifies as an emergency, wouldn't you?

chesky369

The bottom line is that you have sufficient savings for a deposit on a rented house or flat, using the funds from the business account. I presume you will be trying to find yourself a job a.s.a.p. which will enable you to pay the rent and hopefully cover your expenses. You should then look into working tax credits, child tax credits, council tax benefit.