Cant Afford Rent - Been refused twice

Benefits_Bod

timeless wrote: »

lm claiming JSA and lm over 25

If you are living with your parents, the maximum amount their HB/CTB will be reduced is £6.95 (HB) & £2.30 (CTB) per week - these are known as non-dependant deductions. If you are on income-based JSA, the deduction for CTB will be nil.

Depending on how badly your father is affected by his health, it *may* be worthwhile considering a claim for Disability Living Allowance. Again, the only cost is time and, admittedly, a bit of frustration at the ambiguity of some of the questions - it would be best to get help from someone when completing a form for DLA.

Approach the claims on the basis that anything is a bonus. One sure thing though; until / unless claims are made for benefit, there will definitely be no entitlement. My advice? Advise your parents to put the claims in.

NB: JSA sanctions don't prevent entitlement to HB/CTB (at least not under the current legislation....).

Oldernotwiser

timeless wrote: »

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.

You don't seem to be taking your JSA into account when considering paying for bills and food..

timeless

uh, with regards to the last reply, agreed l didnt say anything about my JSA as l didnt factor it in.. however l have bills of my own.. l pay for the electric, phone bill, internet (so l can job search from home) l even have to help my mother get to work regularly which leaves me short (l thought job seekers was supposed to help "me" get to and find work not my mother but as it is we are finding it hard to survive on what we get).

and l will admit l am angry about the decision, even with recent cuts those "teens" with children still get more than we get just by sitting on their backsides and also free council houses, but when you consider that up til last year my parents had worked over 31+ years (and l didnt need to claim JSA, technically l was unemployed but still looking for work at that point tho l did have some part time work) then loose everything virtually through being accused of stealing from our employer, then spending 3 months waiting for council accommodation (imagine no electric and having water cut off for two months and every time a council bod came by when we reported them it was turned back on by the time they got there, imagine the hell we had to go through and that while in perspective of water and electric we may have that and continue to have it, but the prospect of nowhere to live is much more upsetting).

as for my dads JSA, its all based upon my mothers income which all depends on what calls the company she works for gives her, and we have worked all this budgeting stuff out before and were recommended to go bankrupt but you need like £400 to do that from what lve read and we cant afford to do that either, how can we make cut backs when there is nothing we can cut back on because we are already living on the bare minimum we can survive on.

so.. do we starve? or do we consider more stupid options because sometimes its not even worth trying to survive when every week there is some new problem which threatens our sanity, theres only so much one can hope for things to get better but when things continue to go downhill for 12 months no matter how you try whats the point? and thats quite honestly how l feel but l have to be the level headed one because both my parents have health issues (dads a diabetic, has to take handfulls of meds a day, doesnt feel up to work working and l dont think he is fit for it either all he does is sleep 90% because thats all he can manage to do but we are still waiting his assessment from the doctors over his ESA claim, and my mother is on hormone pills due to only having half a thyroid, can see it enlarging again due to stress..)

DX2

Just thinking aloud here, is your mother eligible for working tax credits?

Oldernotwiser

timeless wrote: »

uh, with regards to the last reply, agreed l didnt say anything about my JSA as l didnt factor it in.. however l have bills of my own.. l pay for the electric, phone bill, internet (so l can job search from home) l even have to help my mother get to work regularly which leaves me short (l thought job seekers was supposed to help "me" get to and find work not my mother but as it is we are finding it hard to survive on what we get).

Your JSA is supposed to cover your food and your share of the bolls, primarily. Are you trying to run a car on it, because that often isn't a viable option.

timeless

Just thinking aloud here, is your mother eligible for working tax credits?

probably but getting her to phone and claim them is like trying to take a horse to water.. getting her to make phone calls is damn hard... she hates making them and the more you keep on the less likely she will..

Your JSA is supposed to cover your food and your share of the bolls, primarily. Are you trying to run a car on it, because that often isn't a viable option.

firstly l dont drive, and secondly l pay for the internet, the phone bill, electric.. and while l may have money to spare winter hits me hardest because l then have to pay for heating.. not including lm actually paying off the £20 a week off my parents debt because they cant afford to.. lm just trying to keep them out of court after all l cant afford to live on my own l barely manage myself as it is.

thorsoak

timeless wrote: »

probably but getting her to phone and claim them is like trying to take a horse to water.. getting her to make phone calls is damn hard... she hates making them and the more you keep on the less likely she will..

QUOTE]

Well if she won't claim - she cannot expect any benefits!

Maybe you should show her this thread.

AnxiousMum

Wow....I would suggest showing your mother this thread by all means. Then she will see how you feel about having to help out (after all, you are over 25 and an adult in your own right - can't expect to live at home for free forever!). Maybe if she sees how this is upsetting you, she will actually pick up the phone and get some appointments made, get some tax credits going if she qualifies etc. If you object to contributing to the household as an adult, you could always move out yourself and claim hb in your own right.

DX2

timeless wrote: »

probably but getting her to phone and claim them is like trying to take a horse to water.. getting her to make phone calls is damn hard... she hates making them and the more you keep on the less likely she will..

I don't think I can say this nicely at all I'm afraid, but if she can't be @rsed making a simple phone call which may well at the end of the day help keep a roof over her head then I can't be @rsed trying to help someone.

timeless

Well if she won't claim - she cannot expect any benefits!

Maybe you should show her this thread.

its not that she wont claim, its that she hates making phone calls to the point of annoyance which sometimes seems like a phobia (its a cause of allot of arguments in at home...)

Wow....I would suggest showing your mother this thread by all means. Then she will see how you feel about having to help out (after all, you are over 25 and an adult in your own right - can't expect to live at home for free forever!). Maybe if she sees how this is upsetting you, she will actually pick up the phone and get some appointments made, get some tax credits going if she qualifies etc. If you object to contributing to the household as an adult, you could always move out yourself and claim hb in your own right.

tbh, l wasnt always as good at contributing... my parents have been amazingly understanding and never expected me to help with anything up till last year my own money was my own money.

in hindsight l feel somewhat ashamed of myself for not helping more before however responsibility was forced upon me, and while this experience has given me allot to think about and new understanding, l know that before long we just wont be able to manage and because my dad gets so worked up over everything now his health will suffer and someone may end up doing something stupid.

I don't think I can say this nicely at all I'm afraid, but if she can't be @rsed making a simple phone call which may well at the end of the day help keep a roof over her head then I can't be @rsed trying to help someone.

tbh, l do agree with your logic but all l can do is speculate about what she is thinking and why she is so worried about making the call. and while showing her this thread might spur something in her to do something... it could equally make things worse, after all my parents seem to have something against me worrying about their problems and spreading them around.

cant really blame them considering the past 3 years.. and the fact the systems that are supposed to help us just arent helping, and most of that is in relation to other issues other than housing.