Got a letter from my landlord this morning...

GEEGEE8

I think if you were going to do ironing for someone else you would at least need a decent steam iron. A £5 jobby won't cut the mustard with creased jeans or shirts.

Get a pack of 5 knickers for a £1, might save on doing the washing every other day

I think you are doing well, but you need to sort this benefit / paying back a loan business.. see if they can help out in that way. & also see if the Housing Benefit people will pay the rent arrears.

Jowo_2

mark5 wrote: »

An old school friend of my wifes is a single mother with 2 children not currently working, i'm sure she gets over £400 per month tax credits on top of child benefit, income support, council tax benefit and her rent paid.

Yes, a single parent with 2 children will receive approx £200 per week, plus full council tax rebate and LHA, composed of £100 tax credits, £65 income support and £35 child benefit.

Anything that the non resident parent contributes doesn't impact the level of benefits.

Also, any property where the rent charnged is less than the LHA rate that the tenant is entitled to receive means they can keep the first £15 difference.

Perhaps the OP is either not claiming her full benefit entitlements, is paying off social fund or private loands.

Jowo_2

Alias_Omega wrote: »

Landlord requires 2x months rent arrears to evict you.

If rent is £395, then rental arrears needs to £790 to do so.

That's the case under the S8 route that a landlord brings for rent arrears. If at the time of serving the notice and the court case, if the tenant pays monthly and owes 2 months rent, the judge must find in the landlords favour - its a mandatory ground for possession. How the landlord is going to prove this if he accepts cash but doesn't issue a receipt, I don't know.

But a landlord is free to serve an S21 notice to quit and if served correctly, can bring the tenancy to an end. It's known as a no fault notice - the landlord does not have to justify it. As long as it is served correctly, the judge must find in the landlords favour. At most, a tenant can make a case to stay at the property for a few weeks longer which the judge will consider when dating the possession notice.

Tiddlywinks

OP.....

- The Money Saving Old Style Board is really good for getting ideas on living on the cheap

- The Debt Free Wannabe Board is good for tips on reducing monthly bills

- Join your local Freecycle group - there's bound to be someone that has a spare iron. Try posting a "wanted" on there. In my local group there are always people offering kids toys and clothes so that will cut out some of your expenses right away.

Good luck.

Tiddly

sp1987

I echo what others say about getting on the debt free wannabe section. I remember a thread a while back from a user called 'brokeinwales' where a young woman had a few pounds to last her until payday and had run out of most things. I know she was sent toiletries/other packages of food and things other members didn't need. The people who stored up sachets of toiletries were in their element as they had found someone who would use them :rotfl:

I'm sure if you posted your size/age details there there may be people with items you need left over/surplus to requirements they would be happy to send you. It could free up some money to pay off some of your arrears.

At least that approach would negate you receiving any money which might affect your benefit entitlements (eg if you were doing ironing etc)?

RAS

alasia wrote: »

Its ok I do have a slight bit of common sense (not that you would know from my posts on this thread) and definitely would not put my family at risk by taking on illegal work!

Mystery shopping affect benefits 90 and uysually requires and up front payment anyway. Surveys and clicks do not affect benfits, so you need to look at EagerLearner's thread on the DFW forum.

alasia wrote: »

Oh and thanks for the link...someone- I know I can can get an iron dirt cheap (sainsburys do them for £4.99) but often I dont have £5 to spare - well if i did have it spare, I would rather keep it in case I needed milk later on in the week rather than waste it on buying an iron...

This is at the core of your problem. You have to buy things, even if they are dirt cheap.

One of the other poster's suggested you sign up for www.freegle.co.uk or (look at www.freecycle.com if freegle does not operate in your area). Please do that. It is like e-bay but you get the stuff for free. There is masses of kid's clothing, toys, adult clothing, household goods soft furnishings and electrical goods - all for free. You do not need these things new.

That would allow you to budget better.

What I do not understand is how you got into two month's debt on the rent. When your LHA claim was paid out, you should have received a back payment? That would have cleared your rent arrears. How come it did not do that?

And on a minor point. Washing at 65 degrres is crazy. Most stuff is designed to be cleaned at 40 or even 30 degress these days and that is the temperature at which most powders operate.

martindow

Alasia, have you contacted Shelter and the benefits people as suggested? I hope the fact that you have not posted here this morning means you are on the case.

BadgerFace_2

She said a couple of pages back, that she was getting all she was entitled too, but is paying back a budgeting loan.

martindow

BadgerFace wrote: »

She said a couple of pages back, that she was getting all she was entitled too, but is paying back a budgeting loan.

Yes, but several posters think she should be receiving more than she says she gets, even with the budgeting loan. The advice was to go back to check.

alasia

Hi,yes Ive checked and I am getting all I am entitled to - I get £96 a week ctc, £33.20 cb and £40 a week income support which comes fortnightly.

No my housing benefit wasnt backdated, as they said I should have sent in the form as soon as I moved in; even though it wouldnt have been processed until I had a tenancy agreement, it woukld have been registered as a new claim and then suspended until took in the ta. I didnt know that at the time...

Been budgeting today and if I only ever spend my money on food,billsand paying the landlord, I will have given him £900 by the end of november. This also allows me to save up a bit of money to get the kids a couple of presents for their birthdays, but not to put any away for a deposit on a new house...when I can afford somemore credit for my phone I will ring the council and see about the tenant depopsit scheme, but not sure if I would be eligible now I have rent arrears?