Hand out generation (Grrr!)

TheSaint_2

Ok, so lets ask a different question - when you read a newspaper article - or watch the news on TV, do you just accept what they are reporting as unbiased truth?

aliasojo

TheSaint wrote: »

You forget, they live just down the road from me, so I know how much it costs to rent or buy cheaper in this area - so I can make assumptions based on that and the relative costs of heating the houses will be the same - in their case lower as they live on the "new" estate.And to the troll - I am not the one here bleating (see what I did there?) about needing a free hand out.

To be fair, you didn't say that. (That they live down the road from you, I mean.)

Mentioning a 'local' paper means nothing. One of our 'local' papers covered the whole of the Highlands. It included the affluent parts of Aberdeen as well as the remote poorer areas further North. Worlds apart.

aliasojo

TheSaint wrote: »

Ok, so lets ask a different question - when you read a newspaper article - or watch the news on TV, do you just accept what they are reporting as unbiased truth?

No.

But neither do I jump to make assumption.

TheSaint_2

aliasojo wrote: »

To be fair, you didn't say that. (That they live down the road from you, I mean.)

Mentioning a 'local' paper means nothing. One of our 'local' papers covered the whole of the Highlands. It included the affluent parts of Aberdeen as well as the remote poorer areas further North. Worlds apart.

Apologies, I should have made myself clear originally.

MamaMoo_2

I saw that in the Daily Mail today. (Don't worry, I don't buy that paper, someone left one on the bus, and I'm running low on loo roll)
It said "I starve myself so my kids can eat" she says, whilst saying that £900 a month is mortgage.
Which made me think "No, you starve yourself so you can have your own home"
Apparently she has been warned by her doctor she is close to suffering a heart attack.
Personally, if that was me, I'd sell the house and buy a smaller one/rent. I'd much rather that than drop dead for malnourishment, especially with two kids. Or remortgaging could be an idea, £900 PCM is an awful lot, my SIL has just bought a not-so-cheap 5 bed, and her payments are lower than that.
There's no mention of her trying to sell and encountering difficulties, it just seems like they're determined to keep their house at any cost (they've apparently been selling their possessions)
Seems a bit silly.
I'd much rather feed my kids than own a house

TheSaint_2

Thanks MamaMoo, I was beginning to think I was the only one that thought that :)I had no idea the daily fail covered it too - It really says a lot about the real situation if that paper is covering it!

bluenoseam

Incidentally she's not at risk of a heart attack because of the stress, she's at risk of a heart attack because of malnutrition as the body will naturally begin to eat muscle when the fat runs out. For what it's worth she's at risk of multiple major organ failure if this is indeed the case - trust me, that's what happens when you either fast 4 days a week OR cannot eat properly.

vyle

I suppose with their house, they might be in negative equity, so even if they did sell it, the final selling price, minus fees still may not actually cover the mortgage.

We just don't know.

If I was in their position, I'd rent the house out and stay at a friend's or with family, paying them a portion of my income from rent for the inconvenience. In fact, I've got this agreed with my parents as a contingency plan should anything happen.

I'm surprised the Daily Mail had a sympathetic word to say about them though... I mean, a family with more children than they can afford, living beyond their means, asking for handouts....

johnsons_baby

TheSaint I am assuming, so excuse me if I am wrong, that you read the article in last nights Citizen?

Having read the article in the Citizen and on thr Daily Mail yesterday, I do very much feel for the family and I wouldn't like to be in their situation.

However, when the DM story was published there were a number of contradictions in the story, like the ladies weight loss, it's been amended to reflect the Citizen story so not sure who got their reporting wrong!

I don't know the lady in question and I am sure she wouldn't want to be claiming handouts but I am just wondering if there isn't any other means she can utilise? I mean, as a mother of three, I would be no good to my children if I was 6 foot under after having a heart attack or severely incapacitated.

I am assuming (because I don't know) that their mortgage is captial and repayment, maybe another possibility is to ask their lender to switch their repayments to interest only on a short term basis? Or maybe even ask their lender if there is any other means by which they can reduce their payments? My ex husband owns a house and he was recently made redundant and the mortgage company agreed an 8 month lesser repayment schedule.

I believe, from Rightmove that properties in the area rent for £750-£775 a month for a 3 bed detatched, so renting the house out initially may not seem like a great idea, but if they for instance, had family they could move in with for 6 months (I know not everyone has this), they could pay the shortfall and start saving the money they do have left over after their outgoings.

It's a difficult situation, I do feel very much for the family and I wouldn't like to be in their situation but I wouldn't risk my life for the sake of home ownership, I'd do everything I could to be there for my children growing up even if that meant moving back in with parents, renting the house out temporarily and getting back on my feet that way.

TheSaint_2

johnsons_baby - yes it was in the citizen. I totally agree with you on all your points.They may be in negative equity too - that particular estate has suffered a great deal due to the house price drop. Bankruptcy may be their only option on that one.I agree - the needs of the children must come first, and the desire to repay the mortgage needs to be put to one side as a result. You can sell quite quickly (my next door neighbour sold last week after being on the market for just 3 weeks), but they may need to take a hit on the price they paid to do so.