What benefits would a single mother get?

Mara69

weeble3 wrote: »

I am going to struggle as i am already in financial difficulty and I wont be able to pay my bills without a monthly figure coming in.

My wokr are trying to get me to resign hence the letter they left me on the desk saying they are honouring my notice. Which I didnt give.They have effectively twisted my words in the meeting and are tryign to get me to say i have given notice. I have emailed them and stated I have not given notice and if they need to restructure then they will have to make me redundant.

So will be interesting to see what happens next. Suspect they will try and give me a severence package or try to force my hand to say i have given notice.

Either way I am petrified I have a mortgage and dont beleive I would be able to manage on benefits either.

Well, if you are made redundant and do not get another job you'll have no choice but to manage on benefits. They are generous and you'll not starve. You might have to make cut backs, but you will have enough to pay your basic bills and eat. Eventually, assuming you meet the criteria the DWP will also pay the interest on your mortgage.

The issue with work - have you actually given written notice? If not, the meeting in which they claim you resigned, who attended and was it minuted? Have they written to state they accept your notice? What did you actually say in the meeting? Are you in a union?

In terms of practicalities, hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Contact your mortgage provider now and ask about a payment holiday or moving onto an interest free mortgage, if you're not already on interest free. IF you have any debt contact the companies now and look to reducing payments - or pay off in full if possible. Consider getting rid of anything that is not essential like Sky TV and contract mobile phones. Go over to the Debt Free wannabe board, post up a Statement of Affairs and see what help they can offer. Have a look at the Old Style board for cutting you food budget to the bone.

Do some research, using this site and understand exactly how much you'll get in benefits, calculate the shortfall, if any and think about ways you can close the gap. Look to sell anything you don't need and use the money to either pay off debts or start a savings fund.

Basically, stop being petrified and start dealing with the situation. The more you can do now the easier the transition, should it happen, will be. Knowledge is power.

Morlock

paddedjohn wrote: »

...the OP will be entitled to have her housing costs paid for...

How will the OP 'have her housing costs paid for'? Bearing in mind that she has a mortgage and does not rent.

Morlock

MissMoneypenny wrote: »

As I said, ISPs...can easily be checked by the site mods/owners.

What would be the point of checking someone's ISP? Millions of people can have the same ISP, so it is irrelevant.

Mara69

Morlock wrote: »

How will the OP 'have her housing costs paid for'? Bearing in mind that she has a mortgage and does not rent.

She wil get her mortgage interest paid, assuming she meets the criteria, once the qualifying period has passed. Further, if she lives in a leasehold property she'll get most of her service charges paid, plus ALL potential major works bills.

Morlock

Mara69 wrote: »

She wil get her mortgage interest paid, assuming she meets the criteria, once the qualifying period has passed.

So she won't get all of her housing costs paid, but will receive a fixed percentage rate of SMI towards her mortgage (which is possibly less than the mortgage interest rate) after a few months.

Mara69 wrote: »

Further, if she lives in a leasehold property she'll get most of her service charges paid, plus ALL potential major works bills.

How would all major works bills be covered, and by whom?

Mara69

Morlock wrote: »

So she won't get all of her housing costs paid, but will receive a fixed percentage rate of SMI towards her mortgage (which is possibly less than the mortgage interest rate) after a few months.



How would all major works bills be covered, and by whom?

She'll get a significant amount of the mortgage paid - enough so that if the mortgage company agree to her moving onto interest only for now, she can, with careful budgeting, afford to keep her home. I have already said that there will be a qualifying period.

Re the major works bills - they are paid, in full, by the DWP, assuming the recipient of the bill is receipt of certain means tested benefits. To give you an example, a leaseholder I know has been awarded £49 per week for one year in order to pay a £2,500 major works bill (figures are very slightly approximate).

Morlock

Mara69 wrote: »

She'll get a significant amount of the mortgage paid - enough so that if the mortgage company agree to her moving onto interest only for now, she can, with careful budgeting, afford to keep her home. I have already said that there will be a qualifying period.

She will get a significant amount of SMI (eventually), which is not that same as getting 'a significant amount of the mortgage paid'. This may or may not be realistic depending on the size of the mortgage (£200,000 limit for SMI) and the flexibility of the mortgage provider.

How long will the qualifying period be? Can you be certain that the mortgage company will give due lenience?

It is overly simplistic to state that "the OP will be entitled to have her housing costs paid for".

Mara69 wrote: »

Re the major works bills - they are paid, in full, by the DWP, assuming the recipient of the bill is receipt of certain means tested benefits. To give you an example, a leaseholder I know has been awarded £49 per week for one year in order to pay a £2,500 major works bill (figures are very slightly approximate).

Your anecdote is an exception rather than the rule, the DWP will not usually pay for the cost of major works for leaseholders who claim benefits. It may help with interest on loans or mortgages to pay for those works.

zzzLazyDaisy

weeble3 wrote: »

thankyou,,,,been fretting like mad.....yes they are trying to get me to give notice so I dont know how i can leave unless they make me redundant.

I know that your enquiry is about benefits if you lose your job, but I just wanted to point out that if you have at least one year's service you have employment protection rights under law. You may wish to post on the employment board for advice about your rights and your employer's obligations. In the meantime, you should not resign, at least until you have got some advice on where you stand - if they are determined to force you out, make them do their own dirty work. At least then you may be entitled to compensation for the reason/manner of dismissal (depending on the circumstances, and your length of service) which is almost certainly why they are trying to get you to resign.

Mara69

Morlock wrote: »

She will get a significant amount of SMI (eventually), which is not that same as getting 'a significant amount of the mortgage paid'. This may or may not be realistic depending on the size of the mortgage (£200,000 limit for SMI) and the flexibility of the mortgage provider.

How long will the qualifying period be? Can you be certain that the mortgage company will give due lenience?

It is overly simplistic to state that "the OP will be entitled to have her housing costs paid for".



Your anecdote is an exception rather than the rule, the DWP will not usually pay for the cost of major works for leaseholders who claim benefits. It may help with interest on loans or mortgages to pay for those works.

I am not going to argue semantics over what and when in respect of the mortgage payments. I think it has been covered sufficiently. I've advised the OP to talk to her mortgage provider now and it's been agreed that she'll get significant help with her mortgage.

In respect of the major works bills and DWP, I can assure you this example is not the exception to the rule. You are wrong in this instance. I work in leasehold services and know for a fact that every leaseholder in receipt of means tested benefits get their major works bills paid - if they apply. They are service charges and therefore housing costs. Another lucky leaseholder was given an additional £195 a week for a year in respect of payment of a £10k major works bill. These are not direct payments either so ultimately whether it is paid off their bill is the choice of the leaseholder themselves.

clemmatis

Mara69 wrote: »

In respect of the major works bills and DWP, I can assure you this example is not the exception to the rule. You are wrong in this instance. I work in leasehold services and know for a fact that every leaseholder in receipt of means tested benefits get their major works bills paid - if they apply. They are service charges and therefore housing costs. Another lucky leaseholder was given an additional £195 a week for a year in respect of payment of a £10k major works bill. These are not direct payments either so ultimately whether it is paid off their bill is the choice of the leaseholder themselves.

Presumably these are charges that must be paid -- that is, they are for works the freeholder decides to carry out, and for which the freeholder demands payment (and the lease requires it). The DWP rules allow for such payment (but do not guarantee it)

Some service charges may be included as part of your eligible rent if: [HB Sch 1]

you have to pay them to occupy your home, and

the council accepts that the service charges are not excessive,

and

they are related to the provision of adequate accommodation.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/rr2-a-guide-to-housing-benefit/what-you-can-claim-for/