Cant Afford Rent - Been refused twice

timeless

Hi am new here however lm in need of advice (posting on behalf of my mother)

Basically up till April both of my parents had a joint claim for job seekers allowance (which was soon stopped completely, not even my father can claim), my mother around that time managed to find work as a "mobile carer", in essence she goes from house to house helping the elderly within their own homes, l think the technical term would be Social Care wouldnt it?

basically on average she brings home around £200 a week this includes fuel expenses, a majority of this is spent the following week towards fuel, then bills, and finally food with the last £50/60 and since we are already in overdraft (havent left it since the account was created, kinda amusing when you think we owe money to two banks, one of which is frozen - which is noted as debt in the next sentence)... this is not including a significant amount of debt acquired from previous employment (our previous employment ended abruptly due to allegedly stealing from our employers, which the police have ruled us out of.. the employment tribunal isnt exactly helping much).

in essence we need housing benefit in order to stay housed, it seemed stupid that in order to have a certain claim that my mother has to consider quitting her job (it hasnt come to that yet but lm sure it will be an eventual consideration), we were told last year that mobile carers were taken into account when deciding who is awarded housing benefit by the CAB no less, however when mentioning it to the council they blew us off telling us that its worked out on our income not the bills we pay out so in so many words they dont care we cant afford the rent and may end up possibly going homeless again (that would make it twice in the matter of 12 months we have had to face the same prospect)

Indie_Kid

They don't care about bills. There's a minimum the law says you need to live on. (£102.75 per week)

timeless

so if we could prove we end up with less than the amount we need to live on a week (according to the government) it could help? because if we cant afford to live here then as l said we will be forced to all go back to JSA just so we can claim again.

Indie_Kid

How would you prove that? It's £102.75 after rent and council tax.

Benefits_Bod

On the issue of HB/CTB, CAB are correct that outgoings for debt repayments and payment of utility bills are not taken into account when assessing HB/CTB.

However, I would advise your mother, or father, to make a claim for HB/CTB. There is nothing to lose apart from the time it takes to complete the form and compile the supporting evidence needed. That puts the council is a position of having to make a formal decision rather than a completely unofficial "you won't get any".

Noting that your mother is a mobile carer, is she paid monies in respect of expenses incurred in the performance of her work duties? If so, those expenses *should* be disregarded from the calculation of earnings for HB/CTB purposes.

It may make a difference if you are living with your parents - any HB/CTB could be reduced if you are aged over 18. The level of reduction would depend on whether you are working over 16 hours per week (on average). If working less than 16 hours on average, or not working at all, the deduction would be relatively low (it could be nil if you are a fulltime student or on specified benefits, aged under 25).

If your parents encounter resistance when trying to claim HB/CTB, the council is legally required to issue a claim form free of charge. Make a note of the date the form is requested. If the form is returned to the council within one month of it being requested, the date of requesting the form counts as the date of claim (if benefit is awarded, it normally starts from the first Monday after that date).

Finally, claim asap - your parents may lose money if they delay.

timeless

lm claiming JSA and lm over 25, so l dont think that helps..

on the note of expenses, while she is paid in relation to them they do not cover them by a long shot... she ends up spending more in fuel leaving us with less to pay the bills and she works all hours under the sun as it is.. my father at the moment has the possibility of being classed disabled due to cardiac issues and blood pressure problems (recently had been fitness tested which was arranged by the jobcentre l think when he made an ESA claim but we have yet to hear back)

still if thats the case what the hell are we supposed to do to survive? quit working? go back on JSA? is there even some help out there that can help us get back into a position where we are able to pay our own way? seems to me that these days working to live isnt the way to go because after bills you can hardly afford to work if you have to travel 100miles a day and spend a majority of money on achieving that with one of two decisions... either you eat, or you dont because thats the only way we could make ends meet, tho l guess the £800 water bill for the last year and this one we havent been able to afford can be got around by drinking neighbours water.

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edit

oh when l mentioned CAB, you assumed incorrect.. we were told last year that for carers it was taken into account when working out housing benefit entitlements.

Jowo_2

To tackle your debt related problems, post a statement of accounts on the Debt Free wanabee board and the bods there will hlep ou tackle them.

Your mother should not give up her employment before taking expert advice as I understand that voluntarily quitting a job can lead to JSA being sanctioned.

To assist you in your employment search, consider asking for advice on the Jobseeking/employment forum.

To get a full grip on your household budget, download the budget planner on the Tools section of this website. This will help you identify where savings can be made - there is plenty advice on this forum how to find cheaper service providers, cut down on food costs, etc.

Double check your benefit entitlements by finding out the maximum LHA payable for the property for your household size on the LHA direct website and work through the benefit calculator on the Entitled to (turn 2 us) website which will check the actual position on things like tax credits, LHA, council tax, etc.

generalcuster

timeless wrote: »

lm claiming JSA and lm over 25, so l dont think that helps..

on the note of expenses, while she is paid in relation to them they do not cover them by a long shot... she ends up spending more in fuel leaving us with less to pay the bills and she works all hours under the sun as it is.. my father at the moment has the possibility of being classed disabled due to cardiac issues and blood pressure problems (recently had been fitness tested which was arranged by the jobcentre l think when he made an ESA claim but we have yet to hear back)

still if thats the case what the hell are we supposed to do to survive? quit working? go back on JSA? is there even some help out there that can help us get back into a position where we are able to pay our own way? seems to me that these days working to live isnt the way to go because after bills you can hardly afford to work if you have to travel 100miles a day and spend a majority of money on achieving that with one of two decisions... either you eat, or you dont because thats the only way we could make ends meet, tho l guess the £800 water bill for the last year and this one we havent been able to afford can be got around by drinking neighbours water.

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edit

oh when l mentioned CAB, you assumed incorrect.. we were told last year that for carers it was taken into account when working out housing benefit entitlements.

Hiya
Is your mum self employed?

fluffymovie

Sorry but you keep saying mobile carers are taken into account but not sure what you mean by this?

If your parents have to pay rent, they can apply for HB and household income is taken into account. A calculation is made and any benefit is awarded.

Benefitsbod has given a very thorough reply in all respects IMHO but if I may say, you do come across as quite angry about it? Is there more we can help with?

robpw2

why has your dads claim stopped ? has he run out of contributions? has he applied for income reltated job seekers ..

Vader123

timeless wrote: »

still if thats the case what the hell are we supposed to do to survive? quit working? go back on JSA?

You have had a comprehensive reply from benefits_bod about the ins and outs of claiming HB.

Just a note that if they were to quit a job, they could be sanctioned for up to 26 weeks. Meaning no benefit at all.

Vader