pending eviction 1st Feb, council rent arrears

eldestofthree

I have been in a v similar situation , well done you fort getting out of a muppett relationship. While your social worker is prob very good at what she does , she is prob not an expert. Get some good advice and I am sure that it is not as bad as it first seems. We have a Youth advisery service in our area called YES and they were great , helped me find accomodation , get the right advice re benifits etc , maybe there is something similar round you. Deep breathe , you have until Feb. So hopefully enough time. Good luck and keep in touch

Willow_K

Ask your social worker to refer you to the Welfare Rights team at the council - they will be able to tell you what benefits you can claim.

mcjordi

Ive been there and got the T shirt.. well my arrears were about £250ish and it did go to court the council wanted me out but with help from CAG i submitted income/outgoings form and a statement (which the judge commented was very professional) they were initally awarded full possession as i couldnt make the inital hearing due to illness, so i asked them for another, they were still awarded possesion but if i paid my arrears alongside my rent then nothing would happen. The council werent happy about it tbh. Oh after court costs i owed just over £400 but its now down to about £20..

Talk to the council housing team.. You will NOT have to pay it all back in one go

izzoh

A few suggestions:

1. Speak with you rent officer. Explain the situation and also ask what stage they are at. If you have only just seen your letters then you need to find out. If they have just got a court hearing, as long as you start making payments and make an urgent claim for housing benefit then you will be fine as they do not want to evict you... as said before eviction is a last option because they LOSE money!

If they have already been to court and got an outright possession order on your property (which they may have because they have had NO contact from you) and if they have already applied for a bailiffs warrant and you have been notifiied of an eviciton date then you need to seek some legal advice. Book at appointment with your local citizens advice bureau asap... or because of your low income, you should qualify for free legal advice (if they are still doing this) at a local law centre.

2. Make a claim for housing benefit URGENTLY as this will always help your case.

3. Start making payments to your rent account NOW! If you can show you are paying.... it will look 100 times better. As much as you can afford for now. If they already havea court date you can apply for a 'STAY' hearing. (the citizens advice burearu can help... or you can go direct to your local county court and they can give you a form and you will have to write out all your supporting evidence, as to whats happened and why you have arrears and your proposal for payment). This then allows the judge to make another hearing BEFORE the eviciton date and you can explain everything to the judge who will decide whether to give you another chance. (but if you dont pay etc then you will be evicted etc). This is why it is so important you make a claim for benefit and start making payments as they need to SEE you are doing something.. not just words.

It will be sorted if you act quickly and don't panic.

Find your local citizens advice bureau here http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/.

Hope this helps.... you will also have to explain why you were leaving the property for such long periods of time so any bills etc you still had being sent to your address would be a good thing to keep hold off.

You will be fine... just act quickly.... it is Saturday tomorrow but some councils allow you to start your housing benfit claim online or over the phone so no waiting for Monday!

I am NOT an expert.... this is just through experience... so try nad get some proper advice.

Best wishes. x

bashful_lass

izzoh wrote: »

A few suggestions:

If they have already been to court and got an outright possession order on your property (which they may have because they have had NO contact from you) and if they have already applied for a bailiffs warrant and you have been notifiied of an eviciton date then you need to seek some legal advice. Book at appointment with your local citizens advice bureau asap... or because of your low income, you should qualify for free legal advice (if they are still doing this) at a local law centre.

2. Make a claim for housing benefit URGENTLY as this will always help your case.

3. Start making payments to your rent account NOW!

It will be sorted if you act quickly and don't panic.

You will be fine... just act quickly.... it is Saturday tomorrow but some councils allow you to start your housing benfit claim online or over the phone so no waiting for Monday!

Best wishes. x

thanks for all the replies. I feel much more hopefully.

Last week I started my HB, CT and JSA claim. I need 3 bank statements but only have 1 at the moment, which is a problem. I will speak to my bank on Monday to see if I can get them.

I will contact both CAB and Shelter also and explain my position.

I will start to pay what I can on my rent account. I am determined to clear this debt. I will also redouble my efforts to find work.

I have started to prepare a budget, income and outgoings statement..

This week, I had the shock of my life when I opened those letters. I had no idea.

Its gone to court already (13th Dec) - I didn't know. Eviction for 1st Feb. So I guess I must go down the legal route and go back to court.

Is this correct? Can I still save it?

thanks everyone xxx

chevalier

Hi there. I would also put in any letters that you send to the council that you are a vulnerable adult, due to being in care. You may not like to think of yourself this way, but the council has an extra duty of care I believe. So make use of it!

The main thing is to keep on keeping on as you have, can you get a crisis loan to pay off the rent arrears?

good luck hunting for another job. They are out there
chev

izzoh

You will be ok... just seek some proper advise asap! you have a lot of things on your side, just get everything together and head to shelter or the CAB and they will help you. Some shelter advisors are also duty solicitors in county courts so they know what they are doing... and contact your rent officer... even if you have to go into the office on Monday. Good Luck and be strong! x

mcjordi

if you didnt go to court on the 13th the council/landlord will get automatic possession as your not there to have your say.. get back to the court and fill in the form to have the order varied ie. postponed/suspended while you pay off the arrears with the rent..