council house repossessed- what do i do?

speaher22

ive just found out today that i have lost possession of my council home and im so scared, i dont know what to do.

i fell behind with the rent after i went self employed and it has been a struggle ever since. before i knew it i missed one payment then another, and now find myself in this horrid situation,

no one else is to blame except me but im unsure of what to do, how do i tell my family that we have to leave, i cant see a way out of this living hell, im trapped in a deadly spiral of payday loans, debt seems to surround me and i cant take much more, im at such a loss and have lost everything, im so scared i dont know what to do.

i just feel like ending it all, maybe then this would be all over

im really scared

DannyboyMidlands

Not sure there's any need for the suicide reference, it's only money after all.

You need to get some proper, professional debt advice. CAB might be a good place to start. Give them a call today, go and see them and then talk to your family about your options when you have a clearer idea.

If in the end you do have to leave your council home, don't worry about it. People move house all the time.

Emmzi

you need to talk to Shelter, right now.

dancingfairy

O.k what exactly has happened? Have you had a letter from the council? Have you had a letter with the date from court on it? Has the court hearing happened?
You really need to get in touch with Shelter (the housing charity) who will hopefully be able to sort something out.
The problems can be sorted I promise, one step at a time.
df

dawyldthing

i'd also contact citizens advice on your debts and try the debt free board to set up a plan with the creditors.

Maybe visit the doctor too if you are feeling suicidal (and danny I can imagine having all this happening is quite overwealming, another reason why schools need to educate about finance, but thats another topic)

Gothicfairy

DannyboyMidlands wrote: »

Not sure there's any need for the suicide reference, it's only money after all.

You need to get some proper, professional debt advice. CAB might be a good place to start. Give them a call today, go and see them and then talk to your family about your options when you have a clearer idea.

If in the end you do have to leave your council home, don't worry about it. People move house all the time.

But people do worry about all sorts of things and telling someone not to worry is hardly helpful.

OP speak to someone now, call Shelter, the CCCS, the CAB etc..get as much help as possible and if you do lose your home at least you can move forward and sort yourself out long term.

I would also suggest a trip to your GP and go through your options as you might be suffering from depression or something that can be helped with meds.

DannyboyMidlands

Gothicfairy wrote: »

But people do worry about all sorts of things and telling someone not to worry is hardly helpful.

OP speak to someone now, call Shelter, the CCCS, the CAB etc..get as much help as possible and if you do lose your home at least you can move forward and sort yourself out long term.

I would also suggest a trip to your GP and go through your options as you might be suffering from depression or something that can be helped with meds.

Almost as little help as telling someone not to tell someone not to worry?

I was just trying to give a bit of perspective, it's only money. Probably best just to start dealing with it rather than turn to suicide or drugs.

GDB2222

speaher22 wrote: »

ive just found out today that i have lost possession of my council home and im so scared, i dont know what to do.

i fell behind with the rent after i went self employed and it has been a struggle ever since. before i knew it i missed one payment then another, and now find myself in this horrid situation,

no one else is to blame except me but im unsure of what to do, how do i tell my family that we have to leave, i cant see a way out of this living hell, im trapped in a deadly spiral of payday loans, debt seems to surround me and i cant take much more, im at such a loss and have lost everything, im so scared i dont know what to do.

i just feel like ending it all, maybe then this would be all over

im really scared

Okay, you need a plan.

1. As others have said, speak to Shelter about advice on the housing situation. People think of this charity as providing accommodation for down and outs, but in reality they do a lot of work with people in your situation.
   
2. If you have a family with children, there is no way that you can be made completely homeless, although you may be moved to less satisfactory accommodation. So, that is the very worst that can happen to you.
   
3. Debts are easy to get rid of. Simply go bankrupt! That means that all of your debts are wiped out. It will stop you getting more credit, which may be a good thing, and it will still allow you to continue to work self-employed.
   
4. If you are having such trouble making ends meet, the chances are that you are entitled to housing benefit, which will pay your rent for you anyway. I suspect that, once you have some income coming in from housing benefit to pay the rent, the pressure from the council to evict you will reduce dramatically. Shelter can advise you on this.

Can I give you some personal advice? You need to tell your partner about this. You need her support at this time, and she needs to be put in the picture, so it does not come as too much of a shock if things escalate. The best thing you can do is to face up to your problems, and it is positive that you are looking for advice.

Dontknowanymore

What does the letter say? There is a process that has to be followed, how many times have you been to court etc?
Best bet is SHELTER, 0808800444 if ur in England.
Try not to worry, people are eveicted all the time and manage, you just need to take the step and call shelter.
Good luck.

GDB2222

So, the plan is:

1 speak to shelter for help with the housing situation
2 apply for housing benefit and any other benefits - do you need advice on how to do that?
3 go bankrupt and get rid of your debts

dancingfairy

I would say that the OP may not need to go bankrupt. He may just need help setting up a payment plan that he can afford but bankruptcy is the worst that could happen (and it's not the end of the world either).
In terms of getting benefit help etc I suggest you apply for a new bank account straight away - try the Coop cash minder or Barclays basic bank accounts. As these are basic bank accounts then you will not need to be credit checked. This will enable you to get all your benefits /salary put in there and you can sort out what needs to be paid first - ie rent, food, electric etc. The debts can wait for a short while. Do not give your creditors details of your new bank account as this will cause further problems. Once your money is ringfenced you will be able to think a bit more clearly about who you can pay, how much and when.
Depending on what has happened with the repossesion process you may be able to set up a payment plan with the council but do get some help from SHelter on this and for Petes sake make sure it is an agreement you can stick to (even if it means offering less than you would like). It is important that you show you can stick to your offer, Shelter will help you with this.
Best of Luck
df