home improvement grant?

sweet_tooth

sorry if this is in the wrong place, i'm wanting to know if their is any financial assistance available for major home improvements, this isn't for me but someone i know...she is a single , on JSA, i feel very sorry for her n the kids when i visit, the the bathroom needs a overhall, the gas fire in the living room has been sealed off cos its dangerous, i could on on but these are just the extreme necessities, are their any type of grants availabe? thank you

Robbie64

Is she living in rented accommodation? If so, is she renting privately?

sweet_tooth

no, it on a joint mortgage with her ex but he doesnt pay anything towards it

FBaby

How long has she been on JSA? Is she likely to gain a job that will allow to afford maintenance of her home? It is unlikely she will get grants for repairs, except if she is lucky for very essential work.

Is her ex paying her maintenance? Is she getting help with her mortgage? If she currently receiving these + JSA + tax credits and child benefit and can't afford any essentiel repairs, and is unlikely to earn a decent salary, then she might need to discuss with her ex selling her house and going into rented accommodation.

sweet_tooth

she is job hunting, gets help with mortgage dnt know on what government scheme thats is but still pays some towards it, her jsa ,tax credits and child benefit dnt leave anything at all, it's a small 2 bed house, he doesnt pay maintenance or have contact with the kids, like i said if they essentials got done it'd be life changing for them

Caz3121

She could speak to the mortgage lender and see if they would allow her to go interest only for a while to free up some cash, and contact the CSA for maintenance from her ex

sweet_tooth

ok, thanks

BigAunty

Obviously, the gas work requires a qualified registered gas safety fitter but you might find the taps and loo just require some simple DIY,a couple of tools, spare parts costing a pound or two and might just be a knowledge gap issue rather than a £100 bill from a plumber for what amounts to be fairly routine maintenance.

A visit to DIY forums might do the trick on how to remedy very common problems with the loo and taps, sorted with some pound shop tools, might be worth a try if they aren't complex problems. Does she have any friends that are handy around the house?

She could join a credit union and get a low cost loan for this type of work for a plumber/handyman to steer clear from exhorbitant loans like Wonga or similar.

It must be difficult for her to save a tenner away a week from her £230 a week benefits towards household maintenance if she has to pay a mortgage out of it. How much of her disposable income goes on paying for a property that she cannot afford even basic repairs?

EDIT - you mention that she's on a government scheme to pay the mortgage. This is possibly the SMI scheme that pays the interest only portion of a mortgage? I believe this is time-limited to 2 years for those on income based JSA.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/help_with_housing_costs/support_for_mortgage_interest

This means that she'll struggle even more when this is lost in a year or so. She should take expert advice to determine if she should sell the property now rather than have it repossessed in the future or look into alternative schemes to prevent repossession/homelessness. She will need her partner's consent to sell. Here is another scheme she could look into but I don't know if this is affected by the shared ownership.

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/help_with_money/mortgage_arrears/government_mortgage_rescue_scheme

She needs to contact the CSA. I think she's entitled to around 15% of her ex's income for having 2 kids. Seriously, is he happy that his kids could be homeless when the SMI scheme ends or that their poverty means they are living in unsanitary conditions?

As he's on the mortgage, he's perfectly entitled to just turn up and occupy the property and his non-occupancy doesn't mean he has the automatic right to stop paying the mortgage. Tell her to read the Shelter website's section on relationship breakdowns as this will give her an idea of her rights and options. They also have a section for home owners who are struggling.

The turn2us online benefit calculator site also has a grant checker facility.

Perhaps there's a charity in the local area that provides cheap/free handymen for those in housing need? Sometimes the council provide services though these are often just for the disabled or elderly.

sweet_tooth

thank you for your response, i'm going to ask her to go to citizens advice