From debt to BR in 6 working days

NewStartGoneWrong

Right brief outline
and now
Company I worked for went bust few months ago, no notice, no redundancy pay no last months wages...It has taken DWP 7 weeks to sort out my JSA and I am now in receipt of £71 per week JSA.

Luckily I had seen the fiasco that was Bedroom Tax looming last year and my Housing Association allowed me to move to a one bedroomed bungalow..fine, sorted I thought , no, the bungalow was redetermined as a two bedroomed bungalow. it has a large room with windows and door, that was supposed to be used for storage it is now classed as a bedroom now.

So my position now, from £71 per week I have to find 14% of my rent due to new legislation re spare bedrooms and now local council have finally made up its mind re working age, unemployed folks contribution to Council Tax, its a 20% contribution.:eek:( I do get single persons 25% discount still). I am also aware of the discretionary hardship payments fund local councils have, to help folk with these rent payments, though my local council fluffed and muttered these existed until pushed..will look into these later today.

Final tipping point was on checking out my ex husbands (we are not divorced yet) position re my house, he has defaulted on the mortgage and gone BR meaning as it wasa joint mortgage I am now reponsible for the arrears etc. There is no equity in the property so Im in deep doodooh.

Cant do DRO as it is above the £15,000 limit so BR is my only option.

I have just enough to pay the fees if I can get court fees exempted.Rang local county court and can have an appointment next Thursday 28th March. Right ok have to confirm by 11am today that I am having this appointment.

I have 2 Coop Cashminder Accounts and 1 Barclays Basic Account. My Coop accounts were opened before there new rules about BR came in.

Ok the crux, I have taken legal advice and wish to go BR, I need a quick resolution to my debt problems I have fought bad bad depression for many years and this was to be my new start, but it has gone quite quite wrong.

Ok to the point, do you think I can have BR petition forms filled in by next Wednesday? And where do you get them from?

I cannot get another appointment at CAB till middle of June, DRO isnt viable as the debt is too much.

Im pretty sure I can do this, all my gas electric and water rates are up to date. I have the fees, I have the court date, so do you think this is possible, get myself ready for BR in 6 working days?????

I have read up on the pitfalls of BR etc, credit record wrecked etc but thats wrecked anyway by ex husbands behaviour.

So where do I get the BR forms from?

I have to go BR and clear my own debts as I have to start paying this bedroom tax and 20% council tax contribution starting April and cant afford to with my current outgoings.

The TV will have to go, cannot afford the licence anymore, will possibly need to cancel my contents insurance and really cut back on my food spending, in theory I will exist not live but this is what its like for a working age unemployed person in England at the moment.

Also I hope to have a job in the next few months and yes understand IPA`s etc so would like to go BR so I dont have Nil Tax Codes popping up to future potenial employers

Do you think I can do this BR in such a short time.????

debt_doctor

Hi,
Try National debtline if CAB appointment is too far away(see my sig below) as you should always take advice before going BR.
Your red and notice pay are payable to you from the national insurance fund - have you claimed - would this allow you to delay your BR? It will mostly not affect your JSA.
You can download the forms (BR forms) from the courts website - someone will no doubt post the link.
As you have highlighted, the discraceful bedroom tax is to hit you hard from your £71pw JSA. Do you pay water on a rates based system rather than meter? If you do then you may want to petition after 1st April to include your water costs (installments) up to end of March 2014.
Some water companies claim this cant be done- ours fought us (the CAB) and lost. It is a debt that is due and payable on 1st April in full each year despite the wishy washy nonesense in the BR technical manual - might offset your bedroom tax costs??
Also apply to your local council for a descretionary housing and council tax payment to cover the bedroom tax and localisation of council tax benefit - might get help for 6 months possibly more.
DD

NewStartGoneWrong

Will be back online to check any answers ay 9.30ish appreciate any imput or viewpoints.

NewStartGoneWrong

Hi

debt docter thank you for a quick reply

The water rates on my bungalow are paid monthly £24 I have just received the bill so yes in theory that would pay/offset the bedroom tax contribution I have to pay.

Im sure the lady at the court said that there was an appointment available on the 4th April 2013, will check, if I went BR before 5th April 2013 would I be liable for a Nil Tax Code for the 2012/2014 tax year?

This is theoretical anyway based on having job in new tax year. doesnt really matter in the wider picture. BR is BR.

Thank you once again re above advice, I will go find BR forms and start filling them in.

Re discretionary help with rent and council tax under these new localisation rules, in all the bumph and paperwork that has arrived with the new rent/council tax increase notices not one thing has been mentioned re help with the council tax contributions and getting local district council to even admit there is help with rent cost re bedroom tax is awful. They fobbed me off with you get 25% single person council tax discount isnt that enough, thank you, armed with this info Im off to do battle.I loves my local council they think Im one of the great unwashed unemployed hiding behind my door incase a job appears, time to b u r s t that little bubble of thought.

You have made my day thank you so much x

debt_doctor

Hi again,

If you (as you say) plan your BR just before the end of this financial year then the NT tax code will not affect you.

DHP......

http://england.shelter.org.uk/get_advice/housing_benefit_and_local_housing_allowance/discretionary_housing_payments

DD

rossireps

def give national debtline a ring,they are stars

Lou67

I am a bit confused by the one bed bungalow being reclassified as a two? You said "It had a large room which was used for storage..." Well, surely that was a bedroom from the beginning???

NewStartGoneWrong

Lou 67 hi

At the begining of my tenancy On paper they offered me a one bedroomed bungalow which I signed for and they modernised it before I moved in.

I viewed it pre modernisation and it had one bedroom and large storage room area/coal house.
They smashed through coal house into storage room, put in new windows central heating floors etc hence new room they decided to call a bedroom, redetermined it?.

So this is an ongoing argument I have with them my tenancy agreement says one bedroom and storage room. It's bieng sorted out over past two weeks so.will update when I know full story.
It's a lovley modernisation no complaints there but does not help re bedroom tax etc which was the main reason I accepted what was a one bed bungalow with storage room....it will be sorted I just get confused with all the paperwork floating around at the moment.

I have booked my BR date 4th April 2013 right now to get on with form filling.

NewStartGoneWrong

Debt Doctor

I have now booked BR date for 4th April 2013.
Thank you for previous help and especially part about water rates, would this work for council tax too as they have dated my council tax bill from April too would I be able to argue my whole ctax contribution became due April and could be included within BR, am awaiting my actual ctax bill to arrive to see if it dated from 1st April or 5 th April.

If it is dated 1st April will this mean it is due payable from then and could be included in my BR..



I have a feeling it is due from 5th April onwards..will go demand to look at my ctax bill for the year

Update.....

Rang council tax dept..My council tax bill became due payable 1st April 2013 so as it is a debt provable before BR date and as I understand it ALL debt prior to BR date with some exceptions are included in your BR petition.
Is council tax debt exempt from BR. If not then can I argue my point to have this included in my BR...?.

sort_me_own_yard_out

my council tax came bill came in and its from 1st April. i wish you well

NewStartGoneWrong

Not sure if this will work to be honest it's only if it can apply to water rates then it might apply to council tax, just need clarification if it can be included in BR too.