Can anyone tell me if we'd be entitled to anything we're not already receiving?

chazsucks

Hi there. I wanted this to be a short post but apprently I am incapable of typing anything out briefly so thank you so much if you manage to read through all this!

Some background info - I'm 23, partner is 28. We have a 2 year old and a 3 year old. We both used to work full time and rent privately but in 2011 I started a full time degree. Prior to this we came to an arrangement with my dad to move in with him as we could not afford to rent once I had left work and he was struggling with his mortgage so it seemed a good idea.

We moved in with my dad and pay £650 a month rent... we have a bedroom for me and OH and a bedroom our sons share. We share the living room, kitchen, dining room and bathroom with my dad. He has a bedroom and a small office/living room as his own space.

My dad is 76, he gets pension credit and the lowest rate of disability allowance as he is disabled.

My OH is self employed and works around 14 hours a week as he looks after the children when I am at uni or on placement (shift work) so has to fit it around that.

I have an NHS student bursary of £600 per month which I use to pay the rent and a student loan of just over £3,000 per year which I use to top up the rent every month and contribute towards utility bills etc etc

We are currently really struggling with outgoings - the monthly basics we pay are ok - £650 rent, £50 debt repayments, £70 car insurance, £30 petrol, £150 food, groceries etc. However the gas and electricity bills are too much for my dad to afford which I think is because our house is so drafty over winter we have the heating on a lot, as well as using our log fire. In the summer the gas bill is fine.

Anyway in August my dads mortgage is going up by quite a lot. I don't understand mortgages myself but he pays interest and the interest rate is going up as it's coming to the end of a fixed term (if that makes sense to anyone else). He doesn't know for sure yet but has been warned by santander that it will be estimated to raise from around £500 a month to over £900. So after august we will be paying him more rent as he just cannot afford that himself.

He's been talking to other banks about switching mortgage but they have said no due to his age. He has also inquired about me and my partner taking over the mortgage and him paying us rent instead but because I am a student with no regular earnings and I do not graduate for another 18 months they have said they cannot do this.

We claim child benefit for both children - so around £20 per week for eldest and £13 for youngest.

We claim child tax credit and get £434 every four weeks based on our income.

We are not entitled to local housing allowance as we live with my dad.

I've spoken to our local Citizens advice but all they could say was use a website called turn2us, which when I went to use it said it doesn't work with students.

I've been on the government and hmrc websites for the last couple of days trying to work out if there is anything we might be entitled to that we're not currently claiming and to be honest I can't see anything that we're eligible for.

The only thing that I thought we might be able to claim (but I'm not hopeful) is income support, so I've filled in the form and I'm going to send it off with documents tomorrow.

I feel really stupid but just looking at these websites and all the different benefits and who is entitled to what has really confused me and sometimes you can't see the wood through the trees, you know? So I was just wondering if anyone on here could offer any advice, with any of it, even if we aren't entitled to anything else.

Oh and I've also signed up to my local hospital as a bank HCA but nothing has come up yet.

Thank you so much if you've managed to read all this x

mikey_bach

Sorry to tell you but you have no entitlement to I.S. Can he up his hours by ten so you can claim working tax credits
or hopefully you may get some hours somewhere

mysterywoman10

All sounds very complicated.

I think my first question is why does your father have such a high mortgage at his age?

If it changes in August then this must mean he has taken out a mortage product reasonably recently? Therefore it seems a bit strange at his age that they would have agreed to this as they don't normally lend beyond 75 anyway unless you can show you can pay it back.

chazsucks

Hmm that's what I thought.

We've discussed that, and it might be what we have to do. Originally when I started university he was going to be a SAHD, but because we wanted to contribute more to my dads bills he became self employed.

We're struggling at the moment as my uni/placement is 37.5 hours (sometimes up to 48 depending on the week) plus 3 hour commute, so he has the children. He works to fit around days I have off, but then also I have to study, which is hard to fit in when on a long day I leave around 5.30 am and get home between 9.30pm-10pm.

I guess we'll just have to do some more juggling and see if he can fit a few more hours in.

Thank you

chazsucks

mysterywoman10 wrote: »

All sounds very complicated.

I think my first question is why does your father have such a high mortgage at his age?

If it changes in August then this must mean he has taken out a mortage product reasonably recently? Therefore it seems a bit strange at his age that they would have agreed to this as they don't normally lend beyond 75 anyway unless you can show you can pay it back.

He took out the mortgage in 1994, but I believe the house has since been remortgaged. All I know is that it is coming to the end of a term, and the interest rate will be increasing.

He is arranging a meeting with santander for when I next have a day off so I can go with him so that I have a better understanding of what is going on with the mortgage

princessdon

However, has dad asked for help with mortgage? On pension credit he is entitled, but you being there I am not sure if this affects it.

chazsucks

Nope he hasn't asked for any help. I thought there was only help for those who rent - what help can he ask for / who can he speak to? Thank you

mysterywoman10

I think with more information on the mortgage and what has gone on if might be easier for everyone to give some advice, if not on this board on the mortgage one.

All I do know is that we have a lifetime tracker with A&L which is now Sandanter and it is + 0.99% taken out in the 1990's.

The advice on your other half increasing his hours to get CTC's seems the best option until you sort out what is happening with your Dad's mortgage.

princessdon

chazsucks wrote: »

Nope he hasn't asked for any help. I thought there was only help for those who rent - what help can he ask for / who can he speak to? Thank you

Guaranteed pension credit gives full entitlement to 100% of interest paid and full council tax. Pension credits are your point to ask (unless peeps on here who know more can help). It's your presence I am unsure of, but worth pursuing.

Without you (leave aside as I'm unsure) dad gets all interest paid and council tax.

pmlindyloo

princessdon wrote: »

However, has dad asked for help with mortgage? On pension credit he is entitled, but you being there I am not sure if this affects it.

Yes, I was thinking this too.


As he is on, I presume, on guarantee pension credit he should be entitled to full council tax benefit and housing costs.


He may have to pay some council tax because you live there (called non dependant deductions) and his housing costs (called Support for Mortgage Interest) may also be affected.


It is certainly something you need to investigate. Support for mortgage interest is a little complicated so can't give any details.


Have you applied for all the grants/loans that you are entitled to? Ask your uni welfare officer about this.


The hours you are doing make it difficult for your OH to do any further work. Is weekend work a possibility? If he could do 24 hours per week you could claim working tax credit.


Perhaps your dad might have to think of downsizing and you rent. You would probably get help with the rent and council tax.

princessdon

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Yes, I was thinking this too.


As he is on, I presume, on guarantee pension credit he should be entitled to full council tax benefit and housing costs.


He may have to pay some council tax because you live there (called non dependant deductions) and his housing costs (called Support for Mortgage Interest) may also be affected.


It is certainly something you need to investigate. Support for mortgage interest is a little complicated so can't give any details.


Have you applied for all the grants/loans that you are entitled to? Ask your uni welfare officer about this.


The hours you are doing make it difficult for your OH to do any further work. Is weekend work a possibility? If he could do 24 hours per week you could claim working tax credit.


Perhaps your dad might have to think of downsizing and you rent. You would probably get help with the rent and council tax.

That was my logic, but limited knowledge. Worth op asking though IMO.