Mortgage protection - been turned down!

sammy115

Well the saga of trying to be DF continues. After joining this board last Dec and being determined to get out of debt - here I am a year later. No more in debt than I was last year, but only just about keeping my head above water. Trying desperately to move forward.

Since I joined I have lost my job and gained another, and OH found a job and then lost it. Unfortunately at the end of his probationary period his employers decided that he wasn't suitable for the position and they agreed to part company. My OH asked if he could resign as this would look better to prospective employers. They accepted this and gave him six weeks notice. This ended in October. He has applied for jobs and has been getting interviews but is not getting the jobs due to a lack of confidence in himself which is begining to come across in interviews.

The problem is that we have now been turned down for mortgage protection payments as he 'resigned'. We can appeal against this decision especially as I have pointed out that if he had not have resigned his job would not have continued. The insurance company is paymentshield. If we don't get this payment my wages cover the mortgage and I will have £57 per month to live on.

I am currently in liason with nationaldebtline about my cc debts etc, we have been approved for Job seekers allowance, but we will lose the house if we can't pay the mortgage.

I am desperate. Does anyone have any advice as to how to appeal to the better nature of these payment protection people.

Broken_hearted

We got screwed over by Liverpool victoria in this way. They wouldn't pay out when he was ill and then lost his job. Their excuse was he wasn't in work in the weeks prior to being made redundant.
We fought for ages, in the end we won the insurance payments back. I still owe them £6,000. Its sickening.

Xbigman

sammy115 wrote:

I am desperate. Does anyone have any advice as to how to appeal to the better nature of these payment protection people.

They don't have a better nature.

Unfortunately he resigned so they will not pay out. He might try something temporary over xmas. Phone around some local agencies. There is loads of work out there at this time of year.

Look on the bright side. You have had a year of job turmoil and not gone farther into debt. That is a great success.
Good luck.


X

Broken_hearted

I don't think they had an intension of paying out.

sammy115

He would do anything! Bless him. The problem with trying to get work is that he does something with computers (software) and is quite high level. So the interview process is really lengthy. Telephone interview, first interview, psychometric then second and maybe even a third interview. I did tell him that the local morrisons would pay him £8 to push a trolley!

He is quite down and I am happy and smiley saying we will get through this latest instalment, but during the night i am low and depressed and whilst I would never do anything silly I am getting to a desperate state. It is so difficult coming to work every day and smiling and pretending nothing is happening.

sammy115

Xbigman wrote:

Look on the bright side. You have had a year of job turmoil and not gone farther into debt. That is a great success.
Good luck.


X

Thanks Bigman - it is this thought that is giving me strenghth. I have learnt a lot from this site and would never have made it through this far without the good will and advice from everyone on this site.

I have a lot to be thankful for - I am not ill, i have four lovely children (although one of them has shaved all his hair off), I (at the moment) have a nice house - I am just very very very tired of it all. I feel I can't contribute to this site as far from being DFW - I am struggling to feed the family.

I think another reason I am so gloomy is that I should have had my employment tribunal last week and it has been postponed until January 12th. I just need this to be over as it has been hanging over me since last year.

Who knows I might even win my case!

Verbatim

Hope you win your case!

What exactly does your OH do? My OH also works in the business. Are you london based?

pusscat

Has your OH thought of going contracting? Lots of work around at the moment (depending on his area of specialism) interview usually to start the following week, all the usual contracting job sites showing a lot of vacancies, money is pretty good.

He does not need to set up a limited co - better for tax reasons, but he could use an umbrella company, that way he is a salaried employee, but just gets paid whatever salary he earns as a contractor (minus his tax, NI and a service charge).

Post a reply if you need more details

Puss

sammy115

Pusscat - he has thought about contracting - I think he really would like to do that now. I would love more details if you have them. Any good websites to visit would be great too. PM me if you like.

Verbatim - OH is a system development manager. He has specialised in the mobile telecom industry over the last ten years and spent a lot of time in South Africa. We live in the West Midlands but have no issues with moving anywhere in the country - Australia would be even better! LOL

pusscat

I have not sorted out the PM'ing thing yet (and I am a teccie PM too - shame on me)

Best sites are jobserve, totaljobs, tobjobs, itjobboard. I know there are some more teccie ones, will ask OH when he gets home as he is the teccie one, I am a Project Manager.

You can either set up as a limited company (financial benefits but depends on your IR35 status) so you can claim expenses etc and possibly pay dividend share income rather than salary. Costs a couple of hunderd to set up and couple of hundred in accoutants fees.

Better bet if it is his first time is to go via an umbrella company. I used parasol (look them up on the net). Everything is web based and it gives you a chance to see if contracting is for you, without the hassle of a company etc. Can set up in about 10 minutes and they charge a fixed fee (from memory) for their service. They do all the paperwork and they were really easy to use. I have friends who use Giant (again check out the website) and they are also recommended.

Jobserve have a couple of hundred jobs on contracting with telecoms inthe title or description (no idea about telecoms sorry) so get him to check it out.

Contracting is not for some, but most people who do it enjoy it - you can stay out out of the politics etc. There is little job security, but as long as you are financially disciplined (say plan for only working 30 weks a year or whatever your circumstances demand) then it is very rewarding.

OH and I are both contractors, we budget for working 30 weeeks a year (have both worked 48 for the last few years tho - lucky). There used to be big problems with getting mortgages and loans etc as a contractor, but that has all changed now, we have had no issues in the last few years. Just need to make sure you use a specialist broker (we use contractor financials - see parasols website)

You will need to refocus his CV to show why he would make a good contractor - the hardest contract to get is the first one, you have no history. Show he is adaptable, flexible, can hit the ground running, will add value, can work in a variety of situations etc, Take anything you can for the first one, even if it is away from home a lot, most companies will renegociate terms and rates after you have proved (yourself (usually the first 3 months). I am trusted to work from home almost full time and I get the leeway of a permie (almost) as I have been with my contract for nearly 3 years (on 3 month renewals).

Get your OH to utilise all of his industry contacts, best way in is via recommendation rather than adverts, but try all routes. Don't just apply for/accept jobs that match your exact skill sets, contractors can ALWAYS do whatever the client asks (unless it is something they really have no idea about!) you are selling yourself so there is room for a bit of poetic license.

If your OH has an unblemisehed past then may be worth applying for jobs that require security clearance. The cost is usually covered by the company, but once you have it it is really valuable (takes 6 weeks or so to clear). only go for this if he has no subversive behaviour in his past tho!

If you do a lot of travel then this can up your earnings as via most of the umbrella companies you claim a lot of allowances from the taxman - overnight, mileage, subsitance etc.

The professional contractors association is a great place for information too.

I don't normally lurk on this board much, I work from home and when I am in teleconferences I find myself on the house buying board, but if you need any more info then post again and I will drop by and have a look.

Good luck with it all

Puss

sammy115

Puss - thanks a million for all that - I will print it off and take home - it has given me the boost to get going - just hope he goes for it.