crisis loan help?

sam_star86

Im in a right mess at the moment and could really do with some advice. Its quite a long story so I'll make it as short as I can. Basically, I had a loan out and due to a change in circumstance in January I have been writing to them and offering reduced payments which I have been keeping up. They are a really nasty firm it now appears, who have told me they wont reduce my payments despite the change in circs etc.

Last Saturday I went away to a friends caravan in Wales for the week, and thought I had all my bills sorted for the week from my income support, child tax credit and housing benefit. My rent for 2 weeks, water,gas, electric, and housing insurance were all due out this week, and I had made sure I had enough to cover them, with enough left over that when I got back today I could do some food shopping to cover till Wednesday when I get my next child tax credit. However, I came home today and have been hit with letters and a massive shock- the company have taken £300 from my account, leaving my now £30 overdrawn, and all my direct debits and standing orders for my bills have failed, and I have no money for food or anything. When my child tax goes in this wednesday, £30 will be swallowed by being overdrawn and I'll only have £20 to last me to the following Wednesday, as well as now my rent and utilities all being in arrears. I've only managed to get some milk, bread and potatoes in today as I had a healthy start voucher left and a £2 tesco clubcard voucher thankfully, but its obviously not going to last me till Wednesday. I've spoken to the bank, and the loan firm. Apparently its a revolving debit so they could do it at any point and with the old card details. Both have been unhelpful refusing to reverse the transaction, despite the card details being very old. I dont know why they have chosen now to do it as they have had those card details since January and this is the first time they have done this - I can only guess its because they were threatening me with court and I had done everything right, sending them income and expenditure and keeping up my proposed repayments, so I doubt a judge would have went in their favour. I've put a freeze on the account but it doesnt help me now to pay my rent or bills or get food for me and my daughter.

What I wanted to know was whether a crisis loan would help me out? I'm terrified they will say no and I have to try and live on £20 for two weeks for me and my daughter and somehow sort out the rent and utilities. I really dont know what to do and am so devastated. I've never had to apply for a crisis loan before, and I am so angry and ashamed to be in this situation, especially when I went away thinking that I was on top of everything and have come back to this. Please don't give me a lecture as I have spent most of the day crying and feeling like a failure, I have a little girl to think of and am so ashamed that I dont have rent or food for her and have nobody to ask.

Please, any genuine advice would be really appreciated.

tcr_3

Yes, you can apply for a crisis loan first thing on monday morning. If you're short over the weekend, contact social services and ask them to contact the DWP Out Of Hours officer for your area, they might be able to come out over the weekend & give you a cash loan to tide you over until Monday.

Do you have another account for your benefit/tax credits payments to go into ? If not, you'll have to contact Jobcentre Plus & HMRC asap about that too ... Crisis Loans are now being paid directly to accounts as well, you if they make an award on Monday you might have to request a giro payment instead of account payment.

Wench

Its Bank Holiday next Monday, so phone lines may not be open for crisis loans.

elfen

Tuesday morning tcr...it's a bank holiday in England.

welshmoneylover

What about asking your little gir's father if he can help at all this weekend?

viktory

Got anything you can take to Cash Convertors (or similar)? They'll take TV's, computers, stereos, ipods etc. You'll have to pay to get them back, but they used to be a God send for me back in the day. Have you got any gold you can pawn or sell? Can your family or your daughter's father help? Will the bank give you an overdraft? Unfortunately, it is a BH, so I would image the benefits office will be closed until Tuesday.

tcr_3

Sorry, I do apologise. Phone them Tuesday.

How on earth did I forget that one ?

Breast_Cancer_Survivor

If you phone your local job centre plus for a crisis loan on Tuesday they usually give you the money the same day.

You will need to explain what happened to the money you had but they are usually very understanding, infact ive had 2 crisis loans recently.

I know it's easier said than done but try not to worry too much until then.

sam_star86

thank you to everyone for replying, I feel a bit calmer today though I am still so angry that this has happened. I dont know how the bank can justify letting a firm take £300 from my account and making me overdrawn by £150 when I dont even have an overdraft, and now thats swallowed up my income support and tax credits.
I am going to the bank on Tuesday - do you think they might release my income support and tax credits back to me? My next payment is Wednesday and this will also be swallowed up so I am hoping to include that with the right of apporpriation if possible? I know it cant be used retrospectively so I am really worried they wont give me the income support and tax credits from last week back.
Failing that, I will have no real choice but to try a crisis loan though it seems people only get tiny amounts for that which probably wouldnt cover my rent and utilities and food. I am so worried I dont know what to do. When my ex partner lived here he messed up the rent account to the extent that I was issued with a court date for eviction proceedings, and had to use my student loan at the time to get it up to date. That was a year ago, but my rent officer said if I fell behind again we could be evicted with just a couple of weeks notice, and now I'm going to be two weeks behind and not able to get back up to speed unless I can get my benefits back from the bank or get a crisis loan to cover it!?
I'm really sorry for all the questions, I am just pretty desperate and confused about the best route to take! thanks again, Samx

sunnyone

sam_star86 wrote: »

thank you to everyone for replying, I feel a bit calmer today though I am still so angry that this has happened. I dont know how the bank can justify letting a firm take £300 from my account and making me overdrawn by £150 when I dont even have an overdraft, and now thats swallowed up my income support and tax credits.
I am going to the bank on Tuesday - do you think they might release my income support and tax credits back to me? My next payment is Wednesday and this will also be swallowed up so I am hoping to include that with the right of apporpriation if possible? I know it cant be used retrospectively so I am really worried they wont give me the income support and tax credits from last week back.
Failing that, I will have no real choice but to try a crisis loan though it seems people only get tiny amounts for that which probably wouldnt cover my rent and utilities and food. I am so worried I dont know what to do. When my ex partner lived here he messed up the rent account to the extent that I was issued with a court date for eviction proceedings, and had to use my student loan at the time to get it up to date. That was a year ago, but my rent officer said if I fell behind again we could be evicted with just a couple of weeks notice, and now I'm going to be two weeks behind and not able to get back up to speed unless I can get my benefits back from the bank or get a crisis loan to cover it!?
I'm really sorry for all the questions, I am just pretty desperate and confused about the best route to take! thanks again, Samx

When its gone its gone and most highstreet bank accounts will do the same thing, you need to open a benefits only basic account to protect yourself from things like this or only have standing orders instead of direct debits.

you are also now also liable to bank costs and that may mean your next pament disappear too so going to the bank is a good idea but they are there to make money and the best way is to charge you.

CAB should be able to help you in regards of the loan and the bank charges, you wont get the lost money back but you can get help.

sam_star86

well i went to the bank today and they said they could not do anything - meaning most of my child tax will again be swallowed up by this overdraft - ill have £20 from two weeks of income support and child tax! at least it means I will be back in the black in time for my next housing benefit payment. The bank have removed the £100 in charges they were about to apply as a result of the bounced direct debits and standing orders though so i suppose that is something.

I contacted the jobcentre and was given a crisis loan for £80 to cover food until my next income support payment in ten days. However they said they could not help towards rent, and they couldnt help towards utilities as I pay mine by weekly direct debit - they could only help on a prepayment meter. I am going to ask the utilities to spread my missed payments over ther next few weeks so that it wont hit me too hard.

Does anyone know of anyway I can get help with the rent for these two weeks though? I have emailed my council benefits department and am awaiting a response but am not holding out much luck.