In deep trouble

oojakapipi

Hi, I am new to this site and I have been reading all the great tips and hope you kind people would look at my situation.

I lost my job in december and have found it suprisingly difficult to find another one, I have depleted my savings and am about to go into debt.

My SOA: (per month)

Income:

Jobseekers: £256.31

Expenditure:

Mortgage: £238 (phoned and told of situation and they have agreed to interest only)
Gas: £39
Electric: £37.50
Water: £19.48
TV Licence: £10.96
Housekeeping: £80
Buildings/contents Ins: £25
Land line:£10.99
Mobile: £30 (locked in to contract for another 8 months)
Car tax/Ins: £30.83
Loan: £99

I havn't included council tax as I am getting benefit for that, I am not getting housing benefit and stupidly didn't sign-on until march as I thought I could get a job sooner, pride before the fall!

I would like to switch gas/elec suppliers but am in debt to the current one and estimated reading is way below actual reading so think I should go through the summer to catch up with the actual reading before I switch.

I am £750 overdrawn with no overdraft as my overdraft was due for renewal mid-april and because I was honest about being unemployed they will not renew my overdraft agreement. So I am incurring charges for this (now) unauthorised overdraft. I got so angry with the bank I found this and other sites advising on reclaming charges and have sent them a letter giving them 14 days before I take them to court. I am claiming just under £1000 which would clear the overdraft.

I have spoken to National Debtline who have been a fantastic help, I also did cccs forms online which gave me a print-out which told me they couldn't help me as I was in monthly deficit!

Deep breath, my nemesis: my university contacted me recently asking me for fees for my 3rd year (which I didn't attend) dating from 2003. They are charging me £1,700. Basically, I was going through a break-up with my partner (we owned a house together) and also on a low income, so even though I signed the registration papers my cheque bounced and I didn't attend the course. They contacted me on my dads phone when I was visiting last october, to cut a long story short I told them I didn't believe I owed money for something I didn't use and they are taking me to court. I sought legal advice and was told that for the paper I signed my name on I have to pay! I wrote to them offering £1 per month even though it is clear I can't afford it and sent them an income/expenditure sheet, I also told them that by taking me to court they are reducing my employment options as I am applying for work with financial institutions (all true) that will not employ anyone with ccj's. The manager of university debt collection wrote back to me saying that £1 was not acceptable and she wants £30 per month, and will continue with the court action! What a *****! I am really worried now and am not sleeping at all and crying all the time. I have always been really responsible with money and this is making me scared that they will make me loose my home.

Thanks for reading,

Lesley

oojakapipi

Sorry, forgot to add that I am 34yrs old and living alone with my (very large) dog who eats like it is going out of fashion!

KellsBells

Hi Lesley, welcome to the boards.

I sympathise with how you must be feeling, I know how down the fear of being in debt can get you - I haven't answered my phone to unknown numbers for about 6mths, because the only people who ever phone are debt collectors!

My first thought about your situation is the fact that you really need to get some employment - your income is far too low to live on. Have you checked what other entitlements you may have, such as income support, or tax credits? If you play your cards right, you can also get some to back-date it. Have a chat with your CAB.

But most of all, I think you need to keep trying for a job, and as times are so hard, take any bar or shopwork that comes along while you keep looking for the job you really want.

Big hugs.xxxxxxxxxxx

oojakapipi

Hi Kellsbells'

Thanks for the reply. It is certainly a full-time job finding a job (I live in a low employment area) and I am applying for everything possible. I had a chat with the jobcentre and they concluded that the majority of the jobs I am applying for think I am over qualified. I used to employ people myself and know what employers are looking for on applications so I have an advantage, but still don't have a job.

Lesley

TheAble

Hello Lesley,

Having read your situation, I would congratulate you on taking steps to sort it before you get into debt. Don't despair - there's plenty you can do.

First and foremost, above cost-cutting and elec/gas switching and anything else, you MUST get a job. Any job. Take anything that pays the bills. Check out jobcentreplus.co.uk for jobs near you. Get the Yellow Pages out and call the numbers from cover to cover. You see what I mean?

Second, have you a spare room? If so, get a lodger in. https://www.clickflatshare.co.uk is a good place to advertise, plus under the Rent a Room scheme it's tax free. £50 quid a week would pay a good chunk off your mortgage wouldn't it?

There's not really a lot of cost-cutting you can do, your SOA looks fairly frugal but do get any insurances and anything of that nature through quidco.com. Buy your shopping at Tesco and sign up to all the clubs to gain maximum clubcard points.

I can't really advise on the uni fees, seems strange indeed, but if you have to pay it then £30 a month isn't the end of the world but you must put every waking minute from now on into getting a job. I can't stress that enough.

Good luck!

oojakapipi

Oh also, I can't get to the CAB because they are a long way out of my area and I can't drive because I couldn't afford to renew my insurance. I have tried phoning them several times but just get the automated service.

I am just like you Hellsbells, I will not answer my phone as my bank and the university try me on the mobile 24/7 and have got to the stage where if I don't recognise the number I don't answer it. They can put it in writing as far as I am concerned!

I don't think I can get tax credits as I am single with no children.

Thanks again for your reply Hellsbells,

Lesley

maxfactor_3

Hello Lesley.Im sure things will be looking on the bright side soon for you.Heres,s my two pence you really should be on housing benefit they will pay towards your mortgage and pay your council tax while you are on benefits.Get a claim pack from the DSS and council.Why not call the loan company and ask to lower your payments while you look for work.If you have failed on a payment plan for gas and elec you can ask the DSS to put you on fuel direct and they will pay arrears at £3 a week plus your normal usage.I think the university is being really hard with you expecting you to pay £30 month on your income.If you go to court they will put you on a payment plan but probably for a tenner a month or maybe even decide you shouldnt pay after all,cross that bridge when you come to it.Please dont cry a lot of us are in the same boat.I was in a lot of debt and the court said they could put all my loans together to consolidate them into one small payment,I got all the details together took everything to the court and I never heard from any of them again.Realised I was on benefits and didnt pursue me,even though I had a mortgage so please dont worry .Ask the university to give you a few weeks to find a job they have 6 years to take you to court so you could if you decided to pay the money back ask for the first instalment to start in maybe one month or two to give you time to find work.Why not go to a free legal advice surgery to ask the solicitor what he thinks about paying the uni and get a copy of what you signed stating as to regard of fees.

oojakapipi

Hi Theable,

Thank you for your reply, I am indeed trying every possible avenue to get a job, as I said it is a full time job getting a job! Part of your contract wth the jobcentre is that you have to visit jobcentreplus.co.uk at least 3 times a week, as I said they tell me that I am over qualified for many of the jobs I apply for. I think the jobcentres standard explination is that you are over or under qualified, I asked for help with my CV and they said they couldn't provide it! I also asked for help wth finding a job and all they could do was look at the website of jobs available which I have been doing myself. They tell me that I am unusual because I am genuinely actively seeking work and they are not used to that! Unfortunatly, because they are not used to people who are REALLY looking for work, they havn't developed the skills to help me beyond what I can do myself.

Thaks for taking the time to reply,

Lesley

oojakapipi

Hi Maxfactor,

Thanks for your reply. I have tried housing benefit and I am told that they will not pay on a mortgage until you have been on benefit for 6 months (at which time I would have been taken to court for unhonoured payments and lost the house anyway). I asked a lady at the jobcentre about this and she said that the government don't want to help people buy their houses. I said yes I agree that this is fair enough but do they understand that if I can't find a job and get into arrears with the mortgage they will reposess, therefore a mortgage payment of £238 will turn into a rent claim of £600 on housing benefit and that to go through that amount of stress would be detrimental to your confidence and therefore your jobsearch, she agreed but there is nothing I can do. I will lose my home in 3 months if I don't find a job.

Thanks for the tip about the gas/elec I will look into that.

You have also made me feel a bit better about the debt, though this university woman is determined to take me to court and I have been advised that she could claim an attatchment to my property so make me lose it even sooner than the DSS!

Lesley.

tomterm8

I used to work for a university. They made lots of threats to sue people for tuition fees, BUT their internal policy was never to do so.

The thing to remember is you have more keys to the lock than you think. If I were you I would be tempted to go out in front of university HQ with a sign saying "Big nasty university sueing unemployed man for failing to pay tuition fees for a course he didn't even attend" (or something more catchy) with maybe a couple of hundred leaflets explaining your situation.

I doubt your university would last more than ten minutes before caving in.

postingalwaysposting

oojakapipi well done on looking for work, when i was out of work the jobcentre said the same to me, they cant help as i was actively seeking work... they didnt even see me once, our j/c was being refitted so i just had to send a signed form mack every week/two cant remember. I am sure something will show up even if its only for a few months, at least then you will have money to pay your bills. also as another poster pointed out try a room let, it may not be what you want (or your type of thing) but you can give it a go again this can be temporary and as soon as you get a well paid job you could prob stop taking in lodgers you will get there, it probably seems not at the momment but you will